The Bonds That Tie
by P.A.R
Summary: After Harry is delivered to the Dursley's, Sirius decides the child is better off with him and steals his godson back, never thinking how he's going to take care of an infant.
1. Default Chapter

A/N: Hi! Remember me?

O.K., few notes and I'll let you get on with the story. 

First, P.A.R. was in a really bad deep blue funky when she wrote this. What does that mean for you, reader? Anguish. Lots of it. Tons of it. It's coming to you by the truck load. So, go get your Kleenexes right now! Go on. 

You choose not to? Don't blame me. I warned you.

Second, yes, it's a baby Harry story. Awwww, it'll be loaded with lots of cute stuff, right? 

Wrong! Go read the first part again. (Oh, all right, it'll have it's moments. Leave me alone!)

Third, you remember all the fun we had with Fever? P.A.R. posting on a fairly regular schedule, twice a week? 

'Dem days is gone, folks. P.A.R. will still strive to be consistent. You're nice enough to review, I should at least try to post regularly. (Meaning Sunday nights.). But unfortunately due to some nasty time restrains (work), I can only post once a week. No! No! Put DOWN the fruit! I mean it! I return fire, people! So unless you wanna be pickin' pineapple outta your hair tonight, PUT. IT. DOWN.

Fourth, for those of you that noticed this story ran in the Q&A section of Fever under two different titles, good for you.

O.K.. Now, as always, questions are loved and answered with affection. Q&A at the bottom.

Oh! Yeah! Disclaimer!

Disclaimer: All characters of the Harry Potter series (hereafter known as 'legal property') are the sole ownership of J.K. Rowling (hereafter known as 'owner of said legal property'). No infringement on any copyright of owner of said legal property of the legal property is knowing intended. Published by author (hereafter known as 'other') for entertainment purposes only. No monetary or personal gain was knowingly made by other with the publication of this story, which was based on ideas and characters created by owner of said legal property as they pertain to legal property. No plagiarism of legal property or of any ideas of the owner of said legal property was knowingly intended by other. This statement is fully transferable and is legally held binding for all chapters of the story The Bonds That Tie as they are presented under different chapter headings and titles for individual chapters.

O.K., on with the story. 

THE BONDS THAT TIE

Chapter One: Stolen Property

Sirius didn't actually remember a great deal about that night. He didn't remember to clearly arriving at his friends house, or finding their bodies. He didn't remember any tears of pain or cries of anger. He didn't even remember any feeling of joy at finding the tiny body of his very much alive godson lying in the rubble of the destroyed house at Godric's Hollow.

What Sirius did remember was the desperation he felt as the tiny baby was taken out of his arms. As the last remaining vestige of his friends was whisk away from him on the back of his own motorcycle. How could his life have changed so drastically in one short night?

But that desperation had quickly changed to despair over the following weeks. As he sat in the living room of Remus Lupin's small, cozy home, his tiny godson was all he could think about.

And, of course, the spy-glass he had sitting propped up on the coffee table in front of him wasn't helping much.

As was his usual activity for the day (and evening, well into the night, only to be followed up by a long spell of it in the morning), Sirius sat on the sofa staring fixedly at the glass as it showed him the image of his godson as he sat in his playpen at his new home with his mother's muggle relatives.

A large object suddenly interposed itself between Sirius and his favorite object.

"Sirius, this has got to stop." Remus stated as Sirius did his best to look around Lupin's body. "Honestly, I had more company when I lived alone."

"I'd love to discuss your social life with you, Remus," Sirius replied, shoving him out of the way, "but I'm busy at the moment and your blocking my view."

Remus sighed quietly as he allowed himself to be shifted out of Sirius' line of vision. He turned himself to stare at the spy-glass for a moment.

In the center of the glass was the small baby sitting in a battered playpen. The child didn't make a sound. He didn't, in fact, even move. He simply sat huddled in the corner of the playpen clinging to a small blanket. His large green eyes staring out through the mess of the playpen with an almost frightened expression.

"Look at him, Remus." Sirius said in a sad, quivering voice. "All he does is sit there. He almost never makes a sound. He hardly even moves. He just....sits there."

Just then another figure entered the frame. A baby who looked a good deal older than the other simply by his size. Whereas the child in the playpen was small and thin, the other child looked more like a two year old and appeared more than well-fed.

The baby crawled over to the playpen and reached a hand through a whole in the mess. He poked the other child with a short stubby finger. The smaller child pulled away, but the other poked him again, keeping at it until the smaller child cried out.

The scene quickly changed as other figures came into the room, one bellowing about the noise. The female picked the baby up off the floor while the man slapped his hand hard against the top of the playpen, making a sudden, sharp sound.

"Quiet!" He yelled at the smaller child in the playpen. "You're upsetting your cousin with that racket and disturbing the whole house. I've had enough out of you for today. If all your going to do is cry, you can sleep down here tonight. I won't have you keeping the rest of us awake with that racket."

The smaller child quickly retreated to the furthest corner of the playpen and clutched his blanket to himself as he stared up at the man past wide, frightened eyes.

Sirius watched as the scene cleared of everyone but the small figure huddled in the corner of the playpen. As he watched a small tear formed on the child's face and silently ran down his cheek. Finally he pulled the tattered little blanket up to his face, which showed tale-tell signs of frequent use for such a purpose, and quietly sniffed into the soft material, trying desperately to hide an emotion he didn't even have a name for.

A similar tear reflected on the other side of the glass as Sirius watched the small boy. But suddenly the light when out and the glass fell into darkness.

"It wasn't right." Sirius stated softly as he stared blankly at the spy-glass. "Dumbledore had no right to take him from me. Harry should be with me. I'm his godfather."

"Dumbledore did what he thought was right, Sirius." Lupin reiterated. He was used to this argument. They'd had it almost every night since Sirius had come to live with him.

"How can that be right?" Sirius stated a bit firmer, pointing to the spy-glass. "Animals are treated better than that child. He lives in fear and he can't even understand why. Where is the 'right' in that, Remus?"

Lupin stared back at his house-mate. The argument was an old one and never reached a resolution. Sirius wanted his godson with him and Remus had no answer for why it couldn't be so. 

At least none that he could give.

Lupin couldn't tell Sirius that Harry had been left with his muggle relatives to keep him safe not only from Voldemort, the dark wizard who had killed his parents only a few months before, but to possibly safeguard him from his godfather as well. Dumbledore wasn't sure of what had happened in Godric's Hollow the night Harry's parents had been killed. All he knew was that the only person Hagrid had reported seeing when he arrived was the baby's godfather, Sirius Black, and that Black had seemed desperate to take the baby with him.

Lupin had known, of course, along with Dumbledore, that Sirius had been James and Lily's secretkeeper for the Fidelius Charm, but could never bring himself to believe that Sirius had sold his best friend and his wife out to the dark lord. There had to be some other explanation. But Sirius wasn't helping things along by offering any. 

Both Lupin and Dumbledore, along with the ministry wizards, had questioned Sirius about the fact he had been the secretkeeper. But Sirius had vehemently denied any involvement in the attack. And with no real evidence to the contrary, and with Vestrusium not being allowed to be used under those circumstances, he had been released. But in order to keep a low profile from the reporters the ministry had insisted that Sirius stay with Lupin while they attempted to sort things out.

If Sirius ever suspected the real reason for the insistence of the ministry that he stay with Remus Lupin, he never showed it. Instead, from the day he had moved in with his friend, Sirius had done little else but stare at the spy-glass, trained on his godson. He had watched day by day as the once happy, smiling, lively little boy was transformed into a shy, quiet, introverted child who rarely smiled or laughed. In fact, his godson hardly did much of anything anymore. 

Not that there was much for him to do anything with. The Dursley's, the relatives Harry had been placed in the care of, had seen to his basic needs. They fed the baby, changed him when he needed it, and kept him reasonably clean. But past that they hardly acknowledged his existence. 

From the day Harry had arrived in their care, he had spent the majority of his time in the same second-hand playpen he was now sleeping in. He hadn't been given a single toy in the past several months to play with. The only thing he had was the tattered little blanket he kept a firm grip on. Sirius easily recognized the little blanket as the same one the baby had been wrapped in the night he had found him in the ruins of his parent's house. He was almost never talked to, except if he did something the Dursley's found annoying, like crying. If it wasn't time to feed or change him, the baby was usually yelled at. A sharp slap to the top rail of the playpen usually shocked him into silence. And silence, the perceptive child seemed to learn quickly enough, was what the larger creatures around him liked best.

But while the child seemed to be adapting to his environment as best he could, his godfather was doing quite the opposite. A slow, steady rage was building in Sirius day by day as he watched the systematic destruction of his godson's usual cheerful disposition. Watching it slowly replaced by silence.

It simply wasn't right.

"He's gone to bed for the night, Sirius. Follow suit." Lupin suggested. "You can stare at him tomorrow."

Sirius watched the dark glass for a few more minutes before letting his gaze drift to the floor before him. After a few minutes he got to his feet as though it were almost painful for him to stand. With a slight nod he finally headed up the stairs to bed.

Sirius sat in his room for a sort while until he heard Remus coming up to bed himself. Thankfully, Remus never stayed up long past when Sirius went to bed.

As soon as the door closed down the hallway, Sirius quietly opened his own door and silently crept back down the stairs. Seating himself back in front of the spy-glass, Sirius muttered a spell. 

On the opposite side of the glass, the area around the little playpen suddenly illuminated with a soft light. One that was barely bright enough to see by, but that shone brightly enough for Sirius to see his godson curled up in the far corner. Carefully he reached out one figure and stroked the glass gently over the baby's cheek.

"Come on, little guy." He said softly. "You always know when I'm here."

Slowly two bright green eyes opened to the dim light. As though some type of signal, the baby pulled himself up and stared in front of him, as though able to see through the glass to the man watching him.

Very quietly Sirius began to sing a lullaby to the baby as though he were sitting in the room with him.

I'm watching over you,

So don't you cry,

Though I can't be there,

To dry your eyes,

I'm watching over you,

Day by day,

And in my heart,

You'll always stay.

I'm watching over you,

Through each day,

To keep you safe,

To guard your way.

I'm watching over you,

Through each night,

And in the darkness,

I'll be your light.

I'm watching over you,

I see each tear,

And in my heart,

I hold you near.

I'm watching over you,

So don't you cry,

For the bonds between us,

Are the bonds that tie.

A small smile crept over Sirius tired face as he watched the tiny baby curl back up in his playpen and fall asleep again. Though this time with a slightly more relaxed demeanor as he pulled his blanket to him.

The next morning Remus came downstairs to the same sight that had greeted him every morning for the past several months. Sirius sitting on the sofa in front of the spy-glass, watching his godson. The Dursley's had already fed and changed him and now he was back to doing what he did every day. Sitting in his playpen. But as Remus walked by the back of the sofa with a muttered 'good morning' to Sirius, the baby suddenly let a loud wail from the other side of the glass.

The sound was so unexpected that even Remus jumped slightly.

"Merlin's Beard!" Remus exclaimed as he turned to study the crying child. "What's wrong with him?"

Sirius sat staring intently at the glass, hoping for some clue to what had so suddenly upset his godson. "I don't know. Usually the only thing that gets a cry out of him is that horrid little cousin of his tormenting him. And even then it takes a good bit to get him to do anything about it."

Just then the two men could hear Vernon Dursley, Harry's uncle, coming into the room. The man sounded angrier than Sirius had ever heard him before.

"Now what's the matter with you?" He bellowed at the crying child. "Petunia just spent a good part of her morning feeding and changing you. What more do you want?"

"A good part of her morning." Huffed Sirius. "Fifteen minutes, if that. And as for what more does he want, you idiot, try a toy or two. The poor child is bored out of his mind."

"Be quiet!" Vernon yelled at the baby, slapping his hand on the top of the playpen.

But this time the usual action had no effect at all. Harry just continued to cry louder, holding his blanket clutched to his forehead.

"I said be quiet!" Vernon yelled again.

Harry ignored him.

Looking like a man about to lose his temper completely, Vernon reached down into the playpen and jerked the child out of it. Holding him up, the man shook the child as he continued to yell at him. "Be quiet! You have nothing to be crying about. You're fed and seen to. Now be quiet!"

And with that the baby was unceremoniously dropped back into his playpen.

Sirius was already on his feet when Remus grabbed his shoulder.

"Sirius! No! We can't interfere!"

Sirius turned to his friend, pointing a shaking finger at the glass. "You saw what that....that muggle just did to Harry!" He shouted, his face red with rage. "How can you stand there and not want to interfere?"

"We'll report it to Dumbledore. That's all we can do. He'll take care of it. Now, look," Remus pointed out, turning Sirius back to the glass, "he's leaving. Harry's fine. He wasn't hurt."

"How can you act like this?" Sirius stated, staring at Remus in shock. "Harry could have been seriously hurt. And all you want to do is 'report' it?"

Remus stared back at his house-mate. The truth was he was as horrified and angry as Sirius was. But allowing himself to be dragged into Sirius' emotions wouldn't help the situation. As always, he tried to stay calm and think out the best course of action. After all, Sirius was certainly angry enough for both of them right now. Adding fuel to his fire wouldn't help anything.

"Look," Remus replied calmly, "you stay here and watch Harry. I'll go to Hogwarts right now and speak to Dumbledore. My guess is the Dursley's doorbell will be ringing in about fifteen minutes."

Sirius stood watching as his friend disapparated. Slowly a small smile crept across his face.

"More like five." He stated, and disapparated.

Seconds later Sirius was stalking down Privet Drive towards number four, wondering how one went about a kidnapping. The house was protected by wards everywhere there was a way in. He knew that. So the best way was likely through the front door. Surely the spells wouldn't stop someone who was invited in.

Fifteen minutes later Remus Lupin and Albus Dumbledore apparated in front of Number Four on Privet Drive. A simple disorienting spell kept any muggles from noticing their sudden appearance in the area. And there were plenty of muggles about. The street was full of them, in fact.

Lupin and Dumbledore stood in shocked silence as they beheld the scene before them as the muggles stood staring as well.

Number Four, Privet Drive, was nothing more than a smoking ruin.

The wail of sirens could be heard fast approaching down the street. Looking quickly about, Lupin spotted the Dursley's standing off to the side as they stared in disbelieving shock at their house. From what Lupin could ascertain, they didn't look physically hurt in any way. But what caught his attention most was that they were only holding one baby.

Lupin pushed his way quickly through the crown towards the Dursley's. Noting his sudden departure, Dumbledore quickly followed.

"Where's Harry!?" Was the first thing Lupin said as he stood before the dazed adults. Fear was all that was keeping his anger in check now.

Petunia, Lily's sister, was the only one of the three that seemed to respond to his voice.

"A man came...," she responded weakly, holding her own son close to her, "...he came and took him. He...was yelling about something....someone hurting him. I don't remember. Vernon grabbed Dudley and me and we ran from the house. We thought he was some lunatic."

Dumbledore stepped up next to Lupin. "What man?" He asked in a kind, but firm voice. "What did he look like?"

"He was a tall man. Long black hair." Petunia answered in the same hollow sounding voice. "He said he was taking Harry. That he saw what......"

But Vernon Dursley suddenly seemed to come to life, placing a hand on his wife's arm as he turned to Dumbledore. "He was one of you're kind." He stated with disgust, reasoning out what the men in front of him were since they had come looking for Harry. "Another weirdo. Nothing good ever came from your kind. And now look at what that lunatic has done."

Lupin turned to the house for a moment, then back to Vernon Dursley. "You saw this man do this?" He asked.

"This is what we came back to." The man stated viciously. "I got my family away from that lunatic. And we ran for our lives. Then we heard the noise....like an explosion. When we came back....this is what we found."

Lupin turned to Dumbledore. "Even if he were stark raving insane, he would never have gone this far." Lupin whispered.

Dumbledore listened to the arriving sirens, then turned to the Dursley's with a kind smile as he pulled out his wand. "Nasty gas explosion." He stated. "No idea what happened. Everyone you remember as being in the house got out safely."

A slightly vague expression came over the faces of the Dursley's. But Vernon Dursley seemed to shake it off quite suddenly.

"Gas explosion. Can't believe we all got out safely." He stated to the elderly gentleman standing in front of him.

"That was indeed fortunate." Dumbledore replied as the police began pushing through the crowd. They quickly surrounded the Dursley's and led them off towards the waiting rescue workers.

Lupin watched as the three were led away. "But if he wasn't responsible," he said quietly, "then who did do this? And where's Harry?"

"Those, Remus, are very good questions. One's we desperately need answers to." Dumbledore replied. "But for now I think we best return to the castle and see what we can find out from there."

And with that the two quickly disapparated under the cover of another disorienting spell.

Q&A (Yeah!) 

See. P.A.R. made a little rhyme.

Anyway, to all of you wonderful, thoughtful, and so very obviously intelligent people who reviewed Diamond and A Dog's Day, P.A.R. says THANK YOU!!!!!! You made P.A.R. very happy.

Next, for all of you who asked, sorry, but no, there are no sequels planned to either story. They were one-shot stories, or stand alones.

Thank yous also to all you charming, kind, and obviously deeper in this side of the gene pool people who reviewed Fever and stuck with it through thick, thin, and computer trouble.

And again, sorry, no sequel is planned to Fever. However, yes, the character of Orion Black is being continued. So many people got so interested in him as the often mentioned, but never seen older brother of Sirius, I just had to stick him in a story in a more prominent position. So he will be appearing in the sequel to Family Life.

Purple Ink: Ummmmm, yeah. That says a lot for you. And is probably just a littttttttttle more information than I needed. Thanks for sitting through it and thank you for the review.

Karisha: Aww, someone who actually said something nice about Sirius and Arabella. Thank you. I do realize that most reviews encompass the story as a whole. But I love it especially when people go to the trouble to point out something imparticular that they liked.

Abbsiegail: Yes. Family Life is being sequeled. Unfortunately, do not look for it in the near future. It won't likely be as long as Family Life, but will most likely be a 'weekend reader'.

Sorry, no sequel to Fever.

Jenna B.: So I've been told.

lizzie 16: Thank you.

summersun: Unfortunately, as you probably have already read, sorry, no sequel is planned to Fever. But honestly, where would it go?

Zimmy Russell: You are so gonna get your wish. 'Interesting' isn't exactly the word I would use to describe the meeting between Sirius and Orion, but I guess you have to take the situation into consideration.

Now the bad news. Unfortunately, that situation is in the sequel to Family Life, which will not be out for a little while. I've only just started working on that story and as you know, I don't start posting until the story is done. Some people have criticized this rule of mine. But look at it this way, once you start reading, you know you'll get the whole story.

I'll give you this, Orion is probably one of the better characters I've created.

O.K.. I'm not saying anything more about the Jolt cola until I go check something out. Mainly if the store is still selling it. I'll keep you posted.

Lin-z: Sorry. No sequel to Fever.

Yes, you will get to meet Orion Black. I just can't say he's terribly happy about it right off.

Unfortunately, Orion does not show up in any story until the sequel to Family Life, presently in production. I am working as quickly as I can, but it will be a while. I'll keep my reviewers posted.

Pottermouth: Unfinished? What more can I do with this? Ohhhh, unless you mean the 'Orion' thing. Then yes, that story line is being continued in the sequel to Family Life, due out later this year.

Ice Queen: Many people, for some reason, like Orion. And I can't for the life of me figure this out. He's only been mentioned, never seen, and only briefly written about. But people love this character. Oh well.

Actually, 'Orion' as the name of Sirius' brother (any brother he's given) just seems to be the norm on this site. So I went with it. But I like your idea. Don't be surprised to see it mentioned in some form in the story.

Rupert Grint or Ronald Weasely, etc.: But they were good theories.

Lotesse: Yes, Orion will be making an appearance. (See above.).

The great enigmatic Orion? I like that.

I can see where chapter thirteen came off a little stilted. It was an add on, as stated in the Authors Notes. But it served as a good introduction for Orion.

Thank you for clearing up OC.

As you saw above, this is not likely to be 'endlessly amusing'. Sorry.

The Unicorn Whisperer: I hope Orion will live up to everyone's expectations. I think I have some rather high ones riding one this character. (Although I simple fail to see why! No one has actually 'met' him. He has yet to actually 'enter' a story, and I haven't written that much about him.)

The best on Fanfiction.net? Ohhhhhh, thank you. Although I must say, I've read a few of yours and I am impressed.

AngelKitty9798: Orion shows up next int eh sequel to Family Life. But that story is currently in production and will not be out for a while.

Katy: Sorry. No sequel.

Gia: Actually, The Bonds That Tie is not related to Fever. They are separate stories. Fever will not be sequeled. But concepts of it will be taken into the sequel to Family Life.

Kiara O. Lawrence: *P.A.R. stands stunned.* I MISSED you?

O.K., not enough space on the web-server to say how sorry I am. But as I stated in the last few author's notes, it was getting confusing doing Q&A and thank yous with two consecutive stories running. Again, very sorry.

Silverfox: Orion meeting Severus. Hmmm. Now there's an interesting thought. And although it isn't written in anything but the outline notes, I can say they do meet, though breifly. And considering each one's occupation (i.e., former auror and former Deatheater) I can't say they'll be sitting down to tea to discuss the good old days.

SEEKER-2000: No, no, dear. No sequel to Fever.

OMAGOSH! You worship bob too? Wow! I haven't met another bob worshiper in AGES!

Wolf Of Solitude: Doesn't count for anything!? Have you lost your little reviewer mind? I live for this stuff right now. Haven't you seen the pattern here yet? I write stories for you guys to read. You write reviews for me to read. It's a mutually beneficial relationship!

Anyway, thank you!

Hayleyhedwig 11: I hope you enjoy The Bonds That Tie.

I would love to tell you the stuff I've written. I would like to take you by the hand and lead you down the book store aisles to them. (More money for me, you understand.). But unfortunately, if who I am were to become public knowledge and my publisher found out what I was doing here........let's just say it wouldn't be pretty, folks. My publisher has 'intellectual property' rights on me. Which means, in short, what I'm doing here is kind of against the rules. And you'd be amazed how upset publishers get when you start giving away for free the stuff they are suppose to be making money on.

Yes, yes, I know I couldn't sell any of these stories. The point is, I'm working on these stories instead of the one I'm suppose to be writing for them right now. Boy, that gets them upset.

Again, sorry if I missed anyone. 

Reviews answered as of 01062002. 

Oh, Happy New Year!

O.K., posting next week (hopefully). See you nice people then.

P.A.R.


	2. Chapter Two: Food And Shelter

A/N: O.K.. A few things that need clearing up apparently from ya'lls questions (P.A.R. is from the south. 'Ya'll' is a perfectly good word. Leave me alone.)

First, The Bonds That Tie is an A.U. (Alternate Universe) story. A little 'what if' going on here, folks. That being, what if Sirius hadn't gone to Azkaban and ended up with Harry like he should have. Work with me.

Also, in this story, as of right now, Sirius might well be under suspicion by the ministry, but he hasn't been out-rightly accused of anything.

Third, there is not one, count them, not one single thing that carries over from any of my other stories into this one. This is a completely independent story.

One last thing.

P.A.R. is now pleased to announce she is no longer a member of the club with the fastest dwindling membership in the world today, 'Those People Who Have Not Seen The Harry Potter Movie'.

Yes, P.A.R. went out today and spent several hours of her life in a movie theater. What can I say? I haven't seen that much slashing since I started reading some of these stories. Honestly! Could they have cut that story any more if they tried?

Also I found Mr. Rickman's presence to be noticeably lacking in the film. Not, mind you, not that P.A.R. is a Snape fan. No, no. I just feel that an actor of Mr. Rickman's talent would have been far more utilized to further enhance and expand the use of the director's own vision for bringing together the manifestations of....ummmmmm......Oh, all right. P.A.R. is a Snape fan and she was severely disappointed!

Also, as for Mr. Rickman........., ohhhhhhhhhh myyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ohmyohmyohmyohmyohmy!!! Mymymymymymymymymymmmmmmmmm-mmmmmm goodness!!!!!! That...that needs to have a higher rating for adult audiences only! I mean...oh my!!!!!! Really! Honestly!!!! I mean...I mean.....I mean...., ahhhhhhhh, I mean, I'm sure Mr. Rickman is a very nice man and I hope he wins some type of award. 

O.K.?

Thank you.

On with the story. 

Chapter Two: Food And Shelter 

Miles away from Privet Drive, Sirius sat on the stoop of an abandoned building. In his lap Harry lay quietly staring up at him, as though sensing the adult's unease.

When Sirius had entered the Dursley's house, the row with Harry's Uncle Vernon had started almost immediately, as soon as the Dursley's realized who, or better, what, Sirius was. Accusations flew fast and furious between the two men, with Vernon Dursley backing his family away from the man ranting in his living room.

But all Sirius wanted was the muggles out of his way. And since his mere presence seemed to frighten them senseless, he decided to play to that. Picking up his godson out of his playpen, Sirius pulled out his wand as he turned back to the Dursley's and asked Harry what he would like him to turn his uncle into.

That was all it took to send the two adults running from the house, the woman carrying her own over-sized baby in her arms.

"Stupid muggles." Sirius muttered. 

A soft cooing caused him to turn to the baby he now held in his arms. A bright smile suddenly crossed his face. The first he had shown in months. "Well, now." Sirius cooed back at his godson. "What shall we do with you, Harry?"

The baby grabbed a tiny fistful of Sirius' hair and yanked.

"Owwww!" Sirius carefully pulled his hair back from Harry grasp. "Not the hair, Kiddo, OK? Godfather is very fond of his hair. Would like to keep it."

The baby smiled.

No matter how small, the smile got a beaming response from Sirius. "Well, there we go. You still know how to smile anyway. So, what do you say? 'Get the heck out of here' sound like a plan to you?"

The baby cooed softly.

Sirius headed for the back yard. "All right, Kiddo. Let's get out of here then before the bad ministry wizards show up and do something very unpleasant to Sirius."

Harry cooed softly again and pulled at the corner of his blanket. But as they stepped out the back door, Harry caught sight of Sirius finger resting on the blanket in front of him and, grabbing hold of it, yanked it into his mouth and happily began chewing on it.

"Oww!" Sirius pulled his finger free. He shook his head as he moved past the anti-apparation spells. "Gotta get this kid something to chew on." He told himself as they quickly disappeared into the night.

Sirius never saw the dozen or more black robed figures that apparated just outside the line of the spells in front of the house. A flare of green light hit the wards straight on just as Sirius and Harry disapparated beyond the hedge in the back yard. Seconds later the house erupted in a violent explosion.

For several more minutes Sirius sat on the stoop as he thought over what to do next. He wondered if the Dursley's had even bothered to report to anyone that Harry was gone. 

'Probably glad to be rid of him.' Sirius thought as he glanced down at his godson, who was now happily chewing on the corner of the sleeve of Sirius' robe. But for the life of him he couldn't think of why anyone would be happier without Harry around.

Sirius couldn't help but smile at the baby. He couldn't believe he actually had him. After months of sitting in Remus house, able to do nothing more than stare at his godson through a spy-glass, he was finally holding the tiny infant in his arms. 

His godson was now his. 

His responsibility. 

His to care for. 

His to love. 

Sirius didn't think he could be any happier.

Thankfully, Harry had been fairly quiet up until now. But Sirius knew that was only going to last as long as he wasn't hungry or in need of being changed.

Sirius thought for a moment, frowning for the first time as thoughts of reality began to settle in. If he hadn't let his temper get the better of him, he probably could have simply asked the Dursley's for Harry and they would have gladly given him to him. But he had to make a show of it, and now the ministry probably had him tagged as some lunatic kidnapper. That certainly would put an end to his being able to get to any of his money. If he could only access a fraction of what was in his vault, he and Harry would be living in the lap of luxury by sunup. Instead, at the moment he wasn't sure where they would be living at sunup. Nor was he sure, suddenly, how he was going to take care of the tiny baby in his lap.

Sirius looked about him. It was still early in the Spring and it was raining nearly every day and night. Thankfully Sirius had remembered a good waterproofing spell that he had cast on the blanket Harry was wrapped in that could now also serve as a type of rain-poncho to keep the infant dry and warm. For his own part Sirius was dressed in a pair of jeans and thick boots, with a shirt on underneath his leather jacket. All of this Sirius had performed the waterproofing spell on.

At least neither one of them was going to get wet at the moment.

But there were still the other problems to deal with. 

Sirius looked around the street and spied a small muggle grocery store that was open on the corner. 

Places like that always had diapers and baby food, he told himself. And it shouldn't be too hard for Padfoot to acquire what was needed.

The only problem now was what to do with Harry in the meantime. 

Turning around, Sirius tapped the lock on the door behind him with his wand and muttered the spell to open it. Lighting his wand he carefully crept into the old building.

The inside was much as he expected to find it. Old boxes and crates littered the floor here and there and a layer of dust covered everything. Opening one of the boxes, Sirius pulled some old, crumpled-up paper out of it and carefully laid his godson inside.

"All right, now, Harry," Sirius said as he made sure Harry was wrapped snuggly in his blanket, "we'll just wait for you to go to sleep and Padfoot will see about dinner."

Within a few minutes Harry had drifted off and Sirius seized the moment to gather supplies.

Placing a concealment charm on the box, Sirius transformed into Padfoot and hurried outside, closing the door after him with his paws and making sure that it was locked again with his teeth. Finally satisfied Harry would be safe for a few minutes, Sirius hurried off down the block towards the store.

For several minutes the large black dog sat on the curb watching as people came and went past the store. Streams of heated air formed into small clouds of puffed steam in the rain-chilled night air in front of the dog's face as he sat contemplating his plan. If his plan was to have any chance to succeed, he needed the worker inside to be distracted for a few seconds. And that required a customer. Finally, to Sirius' relief, just as he was starting to feel the cold through his fur, several people entered the store at once. Bounding across the street in between a few cars going past, Sirius hurried over to the store and nudged his way in with the last customer. Sirius quickly located the aisle he needed, but found himself presented with another problem. He needed food and diapers. But he could only carry one or the other in his mouth. And Harry probably needed milk as well. Sirius sighed to himself as he looked quickly around. 

Well, desperate times called for improvising, he told himself. 

Grabbing a package of diapers in his teeth, Sirius tried to nonchalantly head for the door. But as he passed the loaves of bread on the shelf, he made another grab and then broke into a run. Thankfully, one of the customers had just opened the door. Sirius sprinted out the open door and took off down the street. A few shouts from customers echoed after him from the store, but no one attempted to follow him. From what he could tell, the store owner wasn't even aware of what had happened.

Sirius didn't stop running until he got back to the abandoned building. And his anxiety didn't abate until he had Harry back in his arms and he knew he was all right.

Finding an old plastic bag in the rubble, Sirius stuffed their supplies into it. He then gathered Harry up into his arms and quickly fled the building. It wasn't a good idea, he reasoned, to stay in the area, just in case someone had seen him. But it was still early in the evening and finding another abandoned building to sleep in shouldn't be too hard. In a few days he would try to contact Remus and see if things had settled down enough that he could bring Harry back there without risking the ministry trying to take him away. Once he had Harry settled somewhere safe and protected, he would go to see Dumbledore and explain everything. Surely now he had a viable argument for keeping his godson.

An hour later Sirius managed to find what he felt was a suitable place for them to spend the night. The inside of the building wasn't very clean, but it was shelter from the elements. 

Once inside Sirius managed to get Harry to eat part of a piece of bread and changed him before settling him down for the night. 

Transforming back into Padfoot, Sirius laid down next to his godson. Harry quickly curled up against the warm body and sighed contentedly as he lay against the soft fur. Sirius watched his godson for a few minutes, then curled his bushy tail around until it covered the baby. Eventually he laid his head down on his paws and settled off into an uneasy sleep.

It was late in the afternoon when Remus answered the knock at the door to his small cottage. He had been sitting in his front room before the fire thinking over the events of the past days. Trying to make some sense of them. 

Why had Sirius had to act so rashly? Why couldn't he have listened and waited? Waited to see what Dumbledore had to say. What he would suggest they do.

Well, the answer wasn't really all that hard to discern. It was because he was Sirius. Protective. Impulsive. Reckless. Sirius.

And now he was somewhere outside the safety of Remus' little cottage....with Harry.

At least Remus prayed that Sirius was the one who had Harry.

The muggles said they had last seen Harry in the stranger's arms. And he had told them he was taking the baby.

Harry had to be with Sirius.

He had to be. 

When Remus opened the door he was greeted by a well-dressed young man who looked for all the world to Remus like a salesman. He was about to tell the young man that he wasn't interested in anything when the man spoke first.

"Mr. Lupin?" He asked with a friendly smile. "Mr. Remus Lupin?"

Remus studied the young man for a moment, then judged there was no harm in admitting to the inquiry.

"That's right." Remus answered with a less than friendly expression. "And who exactly might you be?"

"Mr. Jeffery Calyer, at your service, Sir. I'm with the Ministry of Magic. I've been sent to asked you to come with me back to the ministry, Sir. There's a certain matter the ministry would like to discuss with you."

Remus stood for a moment, then stepped back to let the man in. Ministry members at the house. Now his day was complete.

"And what 'matter' might the ministry want to discuss with me?" Remus asked, trying to sound as unknowing as he could. But he well knew there was only one matter the ministry would want to talk to him about.

"This would be involving the where-abouts of Mr. Sirius Black, Sir. We understand he was a friend of yours. Was staying at your house here before the alleged abduction of the Potter infant."

Remus frowned at the statement. "I have no idea where Mr. Black is." Remus stated, a bit too defensively, he was sure.

"Oh, no, Sir. You misunderstood." The young man quickly replied. "It's not that we think you know where he is at the moment. It's more a case of your helping us find him."

"And why would the ministry think I can find Sirius?"

"Well, Sir, you were friends. He was living here for several months. You must know him fairly well. The ministry is hoping that you might be able to shed some light on where he might be. Perhaps even assist in bringing him......."

"You want me to help you capture my friend?" Remus asked in a very low, even tone.

"No, Sir. Not capture exactly." The young man stammered a bit under Remus' glare.

"Then explain it to me." Remus pressed on.

"Well, Sir," the man stated, "at this point in time the ministry simply wants to question Mr. Black about the incidents at...." The man whipped out a small notebook and flipped through the pages quickly, "....at Number Four, Privet Drive, Sir. Mr. Black was the last person who was established to be at that location. There is, therefore, a very good possibility that Mr. Black, having been at the location, might have seen those responsible for the unfortunate events there and be able to help in identifying them."

Remus gave the young man a small, tight smile.

"Try again." He stated past the smile.

"Sir?"

"Try again. Why does the ministry want to talk to Sirius?"

"Sir?"

"Why does the ministry want to talk to Sirius? And I would appreciate the truth this time."

The man snapped the little notebook shut and stuffed it back into his pocket.

"It's much just the way I explained it to you, Sir." The man replied. "Mr. Black was at Number Four, Privet Drive the night of the unfortunate events at that location. We have established that fact through interviews with the muggles of that location. We know that Mr. Black went to that location to abduct the infant, Harry James Potter, from the care of his relatives, Mr. and Mrs. Dursley."

Remus remained silent rather than contest the reason Sirius went to the Dursley's. Better to hear what they think than try and convince them they're wrong.

"To be quite frank with you, Sir, we aren't really sure what to make of Mr. Black's actions or his possible state, based on what the muggles told us."

"State?" Remus asked.

The man paused for a moment. "Muggles said he was ranting like a lunatic, Sir."

"A lunatic?" Remus raised his eyebrows.

"Muggles said he was accusing them of all sorts of things. Said Black even threatened them with his wand. Said he told them if they mentioned a word of his being there to anyone he'd be coming back. They say that's why they didn't tell the muggle policemen about the Potter child being in their care. Said they were afraid. Can't say as I blame them."

"Really?"

"Well, Sir, think about it." The man's voice dropped to a confidential tone. "I mean, if Black was responsible for destroying that house, that would be an awfully good deterrent, won't it? Show the muggles what a little magic can do."

"Sirius would never have done such a thing."

The man continued in the same tone. "Really, Sir?" The notebook came back out and the man flipped it open once again. "Our reports state that Mr. Black wasn't exactly acting.....like himself."

"You were watching my house?" Remus asked in a low tone again.

"Keeping an eye on things, Sir. Nothing more." The man explained. "But reports show that Mr. Black never once, in several months, Sir, ever left the house." The man snapped the notebook shut and stuffed it again into his pocket. "Now, Sir, would you say that was normal behavior for Mr. Black?"

Remus stood for a moment, lost in thought. Not over what the man had said, but over what it had led him to remember. It wasn't so much that Sirius never left the house that bothered Remus suddenly. It was what Sirius had been doing while he was in the house. A behavior that had become so common place, that Remus suddenly began to wonder if he hadn't mistaken it for normal.

All Sirius had done...for months....was sit on the sofa and stare at his spy-glass.

At his godson.

"Mr. Lupin?"

Remus snapped back to the moment.

"Is everything all right, Sir?" The man asked past a curious expression.

Remus rubbed his eyes. "Not a lot of sleep lately." He stated convincingly. Though it wasn't entirely not the truth.

"Just the same, Sir," the man went on, "even past whatever state Mr. Black may be in due to past.....circumstances, there is still the very real concern over the fact that whoever was responsible for whatever happened to that young child's parents, may very well still be after the boy himself. Which leads to the possibility that said person or persons are now after Mr. Black and the child. And if Mr. Black isn't....." The man voice trailed off as he searched for the right words.

"Playing with a full deck?" Remus offered.

"...quite himself," the young man answered politely, "you would have to agree, that would give the aggressors a slight advantage."

Remus considered the man's statement. A look the young ministry member didn't miss.

"Look, Sir," he pressed on in a less forceful manner, "all we looking for here is to first and foremost make sure everyone's all right. Safe and sound and all that. Setting aside your feelings of us, Mr. Lupin, you have to admit that your friend and the child could be in a great deal of danger. Wandering the streets. Out in the open. There are still some rogue Deatheaters about, Sir. Likely looking for that little baby. Looking for the person who destroyed their leader. And anyone who's with him. We just want to make sure we find them first. That's our main concern. After that we'll look to straightening the rest of it out. But first we simply want to make sure everyone is under the right protection."

Remus stood silently in the door for a few long minutes. Frighteningly enough, the man was suddenly making very good sense. The Deatheaters that were left would likely be looking for Harry. And if Sirius wasn't.....quite himself, he wouldn't be much use at protecting the infant. And if anything were to happen to Harry while he was in Sirius' care, whether he would have been able to stop it or not, Sirius would never be able to forgive himself. That would be something that would certainly drive him right over the edge. And all the ministry wanted was to talk to Sirius. To question him. They had done that before and Sirius had been released.

Remus worked over the pros and cons in his mind as quickly as he could. Finally he turned back to the young man with a very tired stare.

"If you'll give me a minute, I'll just get my coat." He said slowly, heading towards the hall closet.

The young man gave him an overly friendly, tight-lipped smile. "Take your time, Sir." He replied quietly. 

Q&A

For Family Life:

Teva Arsen: '*'. That's the gold star P.A.R. is giving you because you mentioned her favorite line in the whole story. Arabella's line "I'm really more of a dog person."

Actually, if you noticed, (and I must say you were very good at catching things in the story), the fact that Harry was walking in on Sirius and Arabella nearly every time things were...getting interesting...was sort of a running joke throughout the story.

Some people liked the fact that Harry wasn't the 'continuous hero' in the story and others did not. So, as you said, to each his own.

Chapter Forty was really difficult to write for me. Not for the content, but simply because I had no idea at the time how I was going to have things work out.

You are so becoming one of P.A.R.'s favorite reviewers. Why? You like Snape and Analisa. I didn't get that many comments on her and was a little disappointed. I thought she made the perfect.....colleague...for Snape.

I'm glad you enjoy my stories. Such a nice reader who reviews. P.A.R. likes you!

If you read my bio page, which a lot of people do for some reason (Folks, it ain't that interesting), I refuse to post stories that aren't either finished, or are reasonably close to being finished. (Slight variation there from what the bio page says). I hope you're enjoying The Bonds That Tie and will continue to review.

By the way, you got some stories out, right? I think I recognize the name of some I've read but didn't revi.....ahhhhhh.......Oh! Look! Isn't Mars bright tonight?

For Fever:

AJaKe: Thank you, thank you, thank you. I always appreciate a favorable review and hope to see you on some of my other stories.

Nicola: As I have stated before, there is very little danger of seeing slash in my stories at present. Especially Snape and Lupin. I have a relationship worked out there that I intend to extend to other stories and changing it would be a bit confusing for my readers I think. Therefore I have no plans to do so. Although to some the relationship may seem a tad 'close', I can assure you, it is not slash.

Mystical Witch: I am sorry to have to inform you, there are no further chapters to Fever. Thirteen was the last chapter to that story. However, characters and certain plot aspects are being continued, not sequeled (I know that's confusing.), in the sequel to Family Life, tentatively titled Family Relations, which is currently in production which contains mostly Harry and Orion, and for a good reason, darn little Sirius.

For The Bonds That Tie:

Good reviewers! Good! Good! Good!

Awwwww, you make P.A.R. so happy!

O.K.. A few things that need answers.

Katy: I get a lot of this and it has me somewhat puzzled. No, no sequel to Fever. Exactly where would I go with it? I thought I wrapped the story up pretty well.

Now, if what people are asking for is a continuation of the story line with Orion Black, yes, it does sort of roll over into the sequel to Family Life, currently in production. Not the story line itself, mind you, but some of the concepts of Fever are there. Other than that, I'm sorry, but I have no intention of sequeling Fever.

Juliana Black: Darn! Forgot to mention that. But it's in the Authors Notes this time. Yes, A.U.! Alternate Universe story.

Yup. Once a week. P.A.R.'s gotta earn a living, ya' know. And she dang (perfectly good word) sure ain't doin' it by writing, since she's wasting her time writing fanfictions right now.

Second? 

SECOND?!!!!!!!!

(Go to your room!)

kyra aku riddle: O.K..

Wolf! 

How's it going?

What's LotR, Wolf?

You know, I'm a bit perplexed. Why are people insisting on seeing Harry's being taken and the Dursley's house being blown up as one event? And here I thought I was being fairly obvious that the two events did not happen together. There was some time in between them. Oh well, as you know by now from this chapter, they were two separate occurrences and one had absolutely nothing to do with the other really (well, sort of, I guess).

Angst, huh? Boy, are you in for several weeks of pure heaven! This story will grab you by the neck and just keep slapping you almost to the end. You're just going to love it!

Wait a minute! You don't write angst, do you? (Gotta go look at your author's page again).

Lin-z: Awww, thank you.

VMR: As you know by now, no, Sirius was not responsible for what happen to the Dursley's house. And I'm pretty sure I know where the next questions are coming from, so go ahead, people. (i.e: How were the Deatheaters able to blow up the house with all the protection spells on it?) Am I right?

Abbsiegail: Because I didn't want him to?

Rats, that one never works.

O.K., better reason. One of the worst things writers have to contend with is a frustrating habitual habit of forgetting that the reader doesn't know everything we do. It is mostly due to this fault that things (such as mentioned in your review), get left out. In the story, as you'll recall, Sirius was taken in by the ministry and questioned. I would assume the question of the secretkeeper and such was brought up in the line of questioning. I just left it out, assuming everyone thought the same way I did.

Make Sense?

Leandra: '*' Gold star to you, dear! Yes! Harry being taken and the Dursley's house being destroyed were the acts of two separate people!

Why didn't Sirius tell anyone Peter was the secretkeeper? See above answer.

I don't know that it would make life any easier for Sirius. He's still the ministry's number one suspect in James and Lily's deaths.

The Bonds That Tie is an A.U. and will not line up with J.K. Rowling's story line in any way but characters.

Zimmy Russell: O.K., guys, we have a deal here, remember? Every Sunday. P.A.R. can't do more than that right now.

Still looking into the Jolt Cola thing.

As you know from this chapter, Sirius is the one who took Harry, who is now in his godfather's loving, albeit some what haphazard, care.

Teva Arsen: Awwww, there we are. One of P.A.R.'s favorites. Such a nice long review. Such good questions.

Ummm....why did Sirius escape what?

The Ties That Bond is an alternate universe story. It follows canon up to the deaths of James and Lily (There's a short distance!), then veers off sharply in another direction.

I write horror-fantasy, science-fiction, and a little mystery.

I think I was a bit harsh about saying some people have a problem with the fact I won't post stories that aren't finished or aren't nearly finished. The people that appreciated it far outnumbered the one's who didn't.

As I've said before, I feel I have a certain commitment to anyone who takes the time to read my stories. Among them are finishing them. I share you frustration in that I have started a number of stories that really got my interest only to find the author's never post again.

People, this is horribly frustrating! Please, be courteous to your readers. Finish what you start.

Ewwww....P.A.R. hopes she does none of the above.(a-d).

Ohhhhh, no, no, no. Say it as often as you like. Honestly, you people have no idea how much I look forward to getting on fanfiction.net every day and reading your reviews.

A.E. Lupin: (And the award going out to the most unpronounceable name is.........)

Just kidding. But heavens, ya' gotta admit, it's a mouthful! 

Yeah, few more chapters.

Kiara O. Lawrence: P.A.R. is sooooooooooooo sorry!

Specialer? Sounds like a perfectly good word to me!

Wolf's one of your reviewers, huh? Sounds like we got a writers/reviewers group going here, people.

I'll have to go look into your story.

Whisp!

How're ya' doin'?

Ya' know, I'm gonna get to some of your stories. I swear.

Everybody lives happily ever after? Yeah! Right!

Ummmmmmm......I'm not sayin' nothin' more on that next one.

Marie Potter: P.A.R. are the initials of my pen name.

Dumbledore's True Love: Yeah! Another of my favorites!

Yes! Rootbeer counts!

I absolutely love this question. Don't asked me why. I just do. Probably because it's so long. I love long questions, long reviews,.......

Anyway.

A little legal background. Under the law, (U.S. law), Sirius has less of a claim to Harry than his blood relatives, the Dursley's. Dumbledore really had little to do with saying who Harry would go to. I don't doubt for a minute he probably had his hand in it somewhere seeing to it that things went to way that would benefit(?) Harry the most, but if Sirius had gone to court against the Dursley's for custody of Harry, he would most certainly have lost. So, yes, Sirius could be denied custody of Harry. A godparent has very little legal right to a child against the claim of a blood relative.

Ummmmm...don't remember anything about the will in the books. (Don't think I said anything about one in my story either, did I?) But again, even if James and Lily had stated clearly, in black and white, in their will, that Harry was to go to Sirius if anything were to happen to them, the Dursley's could still contest it and likely win.

Actually, the ministry is keeping a watch on Sirius....or was.

Yeah. It's kind of pathetic, ain't it? But it's just that kind of a story.

That is deep! You can just color me impressed! I guess the spy-glass does contain some of the same qualities as the Mirror of Erised.

Now come on! How could anyone even remotely expect that Sirius would see his godson being out-right abused and not do anything about it?

O.K. with me? I love answering theories and guesses. I find them usually refreshingly challenging.

Lotesse: Ah! The future English teacher strikes again.

Actually, there was a reason this story came out so soon. That'll come out later. About two weeks, to be exact.

I'm sorry. I'll try to be 'endlessly amusing' in another story, O.K.? I thought A Dog's Day qualified.

The Bonds That Tie is an A.U. (alternate universe) story. Sirius has already been taken in by the ministry and questioned, but was released basically for lack of evidence.

Currently Sirius has no idea if Peter had anything to do with James and Lily's deaths or not. Nor will it likely be addressed in this story in any great detail. Yes, yes. I know that Peter was the secretkeeper and therefore it's sort of a given he had something to do with what happened to James and Lily, but currently the little rat is keeping a low profile.

Why would Sirius obey the ministry? Why wouldn't he? He's got everything as good as he can get it for the moment. (Not the way he wants it, just as good as he can have things for now). Also, Sirius isn't quite.......how to say it nicely...........'functioning' right now. I mean, you know, 'all the lights are on, but nobody's home'. What snaps him out of that is seeing Harry being out-rightly abused by Uncle Vernon.

I think you're retaining your sanity quite well. You still asked some of the most in-depth and interesting questions I get.

Liz Skywalker: Sorry. Only on Sundays due to time restrains.

LauraBlade: I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

I'm glad you like Harry the way I write him. Some people do. Some do not.

Actually, for a baby, I think he has a lot of character.

All right, I'll keep posting until it's done. So remember, we have a deal.

All reviews are as of 01132002. If I missed you, I apologize. If you need an answer to a question, please repost it with a note that I missed you. 

----------------------------------------

O.K., just a general posting here, folks. Just a little suggestion from the author. I don't mind flames. As far as I'm concerned, you can't be any worse than my editor, and you're welcome to try. So, flame away.

There is one thing I do take exception to, however, and that is please, please, please, do NOT threaten the author. I take GREAT exception to this type of review. Whether in fun or being completely serious, it bothers me when people write something that is outrightly hostile, directed at me. And it will get you ignored. So please, I won't do it to you, don't do it to me.

Thank you for letting me vent.

See you next week. 


	3. Chapter Three: And He Matches The Descri...

A/N: I would like to mention that this posting is going out to She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named on her birthday. Hope you have a great birthday! (This is the reason this story got an early start.)

A word of warning here. Something happened that you need to understand or the next chapter is going to seem a little weird, number-wise. This is actually an additional chapter. Which means it was not part of the original story as I wrote it to begin with. However, looking over The Bonds That Tie, I decided there was a lot more I could do with this story than I had. The little glitch arises in that I hate renumbering my chapters (and there's a long, boring reason for that), so next weeks chapter will be numbered a little differently. This is little note is just so you know the reason for the weirdness. You may or may not see this again. Additional chapters simply depend on the time I have, and working on currently four different stories doesn't leave a lot of that. In addition, P.A.R. is regrouting her shower and needs to trim her yard for Spring. So, this does not leave a lot of spare time, Folks. But I'm doing what I can. Bare with me.

Oh, yes, by the way. P.A.R. has also resigned now from the 'Ain't seen The Lord Of The Rings Yet Either' fan club as well. And as much as I love and adore the Harry Potter books, folks, I must say, even I would vote for this movie over Harry Potter for film of the year. Sorry.

On with the story.

Enjoy. 

Chapter Three: And He Matches The Description

For the next few weeks, Padfoot's shopping trips went much as planned. As the days went past and Sirius was able to plan things out better, he was able to stagger the things he needed so that he needed to grab only one necessary item per shopping trip and make a run for it.

Since Sirius planned the trips at night, he would first find a location several miles from where the store was. There he would locate a safe place to leave Harry, perform a simple concealment charm, and be on his way. Luckily, as Padfoot, Sirius could cover the distance to the store much faster than a man could running.

Several weeks of this and Sirius felt he had the whole routine pretty well figured out. Harry was being kept fed, clean, warm, and dry. And so that he didn't go on his shopping trips too often, Sirius staggered his own regular meals by scrounging through the trash of various restaurants as Padfoot.

And so did Sirius find himself one night, as he did many evenings, sitting on the street corner opposite his target for the night. His usual method was to wait for a fair amount of people to enter the store, and then sneak in behind someone. This didn't always work. It was fairly hard to hide as a dog of Padfoot's size. But after a few failed attempts, Sirius learned to sneak in quickly and head for the nearest cover until he could locate what he needed. The whole operation usually took a few minutes at best.

Tonight Sirius was getting impatient as he sat on the sidewalk, thumping his tail in irritation against the cement sidewalk. It was raining out, and people weren't as prone to coming to the corner store on nights like tonight.

But finally Sirius felt enough people were in the store and he made his move.

He watched for someone approaching the store, then strolled non-chalantly up behind them and quickly slipped into the store.

As soon as he was inside, Sirius had a feeling something wasn't right about the store. Something that was different from the others. But he just couldn't put his finger on it right then.

Well, best to get down to business and ponder the problem later.

Sirius' mission that night was baby formula.

He quickly slipped behind the cover of the shelving and began scanning for formula. Finally finding it he walked up to the shelf. Looking about carefully, he quickly grabbed a can in his mouth and made for the door.

He hit it dead-on with a solid thump.

The large dog fell to the floor in a stunned heap. But he quickly got to his feet and began reasoning out what had gone wrong. 

The problem was that the sound of a large, black dog hitting the store's front glass doors had made quite a noise indeed, alerting the store owner to the situation.

Sirius stared at the doors for a moment, then shook his head as he realized the problem, as well as what had been bothering him about the store earlier. All the other stores he had gone to had had doors that either swung both ways or opened out. It was usually something he watched for when picking a target for the night. But it had been raining and he had been cold, tired, and hungry, as well as worried about Harry. He hadn't noticed that the doors of this particular store only opened in. Not out.

"Hey!"

Sirius turned his head to see the store owner headed for him.

Sirius leapt at the door handle, intending to grab it in his teeth, get the door open and make his escape.

But before he could get to the handle, a firm hand dug its way into his fur and grabbed him by the scruff of the neck.

"No you don't!"

Sirius whined as he was dragged back from the door.

"Well now, who have we here?" The man stated as he stared down at the dog. "I've heard the others talking about a large, black dog in the area that's been pinching items from their stores.. Thought I'd be just another easy target, did you?"

The dog whined again.

"Well, the city Animal Services will know how to deal with you. And if we were able to catch you, maybe we can catch the lousy scum that trained you to steal as well."

'Animal Services!'  
Sirius pulled hard against the man's hold. He didn't want to threaten the muggle or hurt him in any way, but he couldn't let himself be taken by Animal Services either. If he did he was likely to end up in a cage. And possibly......Sirius didn't even allow himself to think that far. He had to get back to Harry. That's all that mattered.

But the store owner now had help from several male customers who were working on trying to herd and shove the large dog into a back store room. The fact that a few minutes ago he had nearly knocked himself unconscious on the store's front door wasn't helping matters in his favor either. Sirius made one last attempt to break free, pulling back and growling at the man who had him by the scruff of his neck. But the act only earned him a sharp kick in the side from one of the other men and he cringed with a soft whine. By the time he recovered from the pain in his ribs, he found himself shoved forward into a small, dimly lit room and heard the door slam shut behind him.

For several minutes Sirius sat in the darkness, listening intently for any sound. But finally he got gingerly to his feet, his head still swimming a bit and his side still smarting from where the man had kicked him, and began sniffing about the room for a way out. He had to get out of the room before the Animal Services people showed up. If he didn't he doubted he would ever be able to get back to Harry.

Sirius made a circle of the room three times. But the only opening to the room seemed to be either the door he had been shoved through, or the one on the back of the room, which had a large padlock on it.

The dog whined softly as he thought over his predicament. He should have been back to Harry by now. He had been gone too long. What if Harry started to make noise? What if a muggle went into the building to investigate and found him? What if someone took him before Sirius could get back to the abandoned building? He wouldn't have so much as a clue about where to start looking for him.

Sirius was by now working himself into a good panic. He took several running leaps at the back door, throwing all of his weight against it. But the door held solid. He tried grabbing the lock in his teeth and pulling it open, but that too failed. He was considering trying to claw his way through the door when a thought suddenly dawned on him.

Sirius shook his head at how stupid he was being that night. It had to be the lack of food or the general lack of sleep that was making him so slow witted.

Sitting in the middle of the small store room, the dog concentrated, and in a few seconds, in his place, now crouched a man in dark cloths.

Sirius quickly pulled out his wand and tapped the padlock on the door. He didn't like using magic as that it might alert the ministry to his whereabouts. But he felt this was a genuine emergency. He had to get back to Harry!

Sirius yanked the door open.

"Hey! What are you doing back here!?"

Sirius froze with one foot out the door, quickly pondering whether to run or try and bluff his way out of things. But he had no idea if the store owner had called the police, and if he ran, and was caught by the police, things wouldn't be much better than with Animal Services.

Sirius pulled back into the room and greeted the man with his most charming smile. 

"Sorry?" He asked with a touch of nervousness in his voice.

"What are you doing back here? Customers aren't allowed back here!"

"I'm sorry. I didn't know." Sirius confessed past his smile, back up by a lost look. "I was looking for the restroom. I heard a scratching and a whining noise and came to investigate."

The man looked quickly about. "Where's the dog!?" He yelled.

Sirius looked baffled. "What? The large, black one?"

The man turned an angry, red face to Sirius. "Did you see another one back here?!"

"Well, he was whining and scratching at the door......" Sirius began to answer.

"You didn't let him out?"

"I thought he wanted to go out." Sirius replied innocently. "So I opened the door and......"

"Hang on." The man said suddenly, looking at the door. "That door was locked. How'd you get it open?"

"I just opened it." Sirius replied. "It wasn't locked."

"I always keep that door locked." The store owner insisted. "Big padlock on it."

Sirius held up the open padlock for the man to see. "You mean this one?"

The store owner slowly took the padlock from Sirius. "That door was locked. I locked it myself." He said, looking over the padlock for any sign it had been forced open, but found none.

"Well," Sirius offered, thinking fast, "it looked locked to me too. But when I yanked on the padlock to try it, it came open. Look," He added quickly, trying to distract the man's attention away from the issue of the padlock, "I'm sorry I let your dog out. I'll be more than happy to help you look for him."

But the muggle shook his head. "Wasn't my dog." He replied, staring out the door. "Dog's been pinching stuff from stores in the neighborhoods. Store owners have been trying to catch him for weeks now. Thought we finally had him."

Sirius could barely repress his smile. "I'm really very sorry." He repeated. "I just thought the dog wanted to go out. I thought he was a watchdog or something. Plenty big enough for that."

"Well, we caught him once, we'll catch him again. All the store owners are on the lookout for him now. Shouldn't be hard to catch a dog that size." The man shook his head as he took Sirius by the arm. "Right then. Lets go. No customers allowed back in this area."

Sirius allowed the man to escort him back into the main store area, all the while continuing to apologize for letting the dog go free and offering again and again to go look for him. But finally Sirius managed to simply edge his way towards the door and in a matter of seconds slipped out un-noticed further by the store owner.

Out on the street, Sirius headed as fast as his two legs could carry him as far from the store as he could until he felt comfortable dodging down an alleyway. A few seconds later a large, black dog stuck its head around the corner and looked about to make sure the coast was clear, then it took off at a run towards the abandon building where he had left his godson.

Sirius transformed back into himself as soon as he was through the door of the building. He had run as fast as he could getting back, barely avoiding several cars as he ran across streets. But something besides the simple desire to get back to his godson was driving him on.

From the moment he had left the store, a nameless fear had been building inside of him. One that told him something was wrong, but refused to tell him what. The only answer to that question was in getting back to the abandon building as fast as possible.

Sirius ran to the room where he had left Harry sleeping peaceful in a concealed box. But as he entered the room, his heart suddenly froze in his chest.

The box Harry had been sleeping in was pushed over. Definitely not the way he had left it.

Sirius rushed over to the box and looked quickly around. There was no sign of Harry anywhere. Nothing left behind.

Sirius quickly transformed back into Padfoot and frantically began sniffing about the ground around the box. He didn't need anything of the baby's to find the scent. He would know it as soon as he found it. Weeks of someone sleeping curled up against you will do that for you.

Within a matter of seconds Padfoot gratefully found the scent he was looking for amid the rubble and discarded trash and began to follow it. As he went his hopes rose. The scent stayed on the floor. Wherever Harry had gone, he went there apparently on his own. He hadn't been carried. So it was unlikely the baby had been taken.

As Padfoot got into the corridor and started down the hall, the scent grew steadily fainter. Padfoot put his nose closer to the floor, trying not to lose the scent. The scent in the main room where Harry had been sleeping was bound to be stronger than anywhere else. Harry had spent most of the last three days and nights crawling about the room under his godfather's watchful gaze as he searched about for something to entertain himself with while he was awake. Only occasionally had Harry managed to make his way out into the corridor before Sirius fetched him back to the main room. But now Padfoot was into an area of the building Harry had never been allowed into, and the trail was a new one and not very strong.

Several times Padfoot found himself following a trail that that would stop abruptly. Padfoot angrily shook his head. He may have the senses of a dog, but he certainly didn't have the instincts of one. A real dog would probably have been easily able to tell when the trail doubled back on itself. And in the meantime, he was wasting precious time chasing the false trails.

Padfoot stood for a minute and thought. There had to be a quicker way to locate his godson.

A sudden thought came to the large, black dog as it lifted its nose slightly away from the floor. It looked about carefully for any sign of movement, then lifting its head, let a loud bark several times. As soon as he stopped, Padfoot cocked his ears forward, listening intently for any sound. When he didn't get any answer to his call, he put his nose back to the floor and continued on. Several minutes later he repeated the process, but again with no success.

By the fifth time, some fifteen minutes later, Padfoot was starting to get even more worried than he had been as new thoughts came to him as to why Harry didn't answer him. What if Harry had crawled off somewhere and gotten hurt? What if he had tried to climb a flight of stairs and had fallen down them? What if the trail ultimately led Padfoot to an open door?

Padfoot lifted his head again and barked loudly several times.

Never in his life did he think he had ever been more relieved to hear the delighted squeals of his godson. Happy screams came from a room a few more feet down the corridor in answer to his call.

Padfoot bounded for the room and quickly ran into it. There, seated on the floor near one of the walls, was Harry, his small blanket clasp in his hands. For all intents and purposes, he looked utterly unharmed.

Padfoot's expression of concern slowly turned to a look of parental annoyance. Someone was due for a very long lecture when they were old enough to understand, he promised himself as he walked his four feet over to where the baby sat watching him past two large, green eyes.

The dog lowered his head down to where the baby sat before him. A blast of warm air blew into Harry's face as Padfoot issued his feelings on the matter.

The baby sat for a moment in silence, as though thinking things over and sorting them out. But with a sudden defusing move that only a baby could have accomplish, Harry reached out and wrapped two tiny arms about the dog's muzzle, laid his head against the warm, wet nose, and sighed happily.

Padfoot stood frozen for a moment. But then the dog's shoulder's slumped in defeat.

A second later, Harry found himself scooped up off the ground and into his godfather's arms. The baby giggled at the man smiling at him.

"Lord, I'm going to make a horrible godfather, Harry." He said as he carried the baby back to the main room. "I can't even stay mad at you long enough to punish you."

Harry giggled again and slapped Sirius on the nose.

"Oh, fine for you. You'll grow up spoiled."

Harry didn't seem to mind the pronouncement one bit as he grabbed a handful of black hair and gave it a good yank, laughing wildly at the new game. Sirius winced as his precious hair and yanked and pulled a few more times before he finally disentangled it from Harry's grasp.

"Well, kiddo," he said as they reached the main room, "I'm afraid I have bad news and I have worse news. Which will it be first?"

Harry giggled some response.

"The bad news first? All right then. Godfather didn't get anything for supper."

The baby fell silent almost on cue.

"The worse news is that we have to move again." Sirius announced forlornly.

Harry continued to stare up at him with bright green eyes as they headed for the door. But as soon as Sirius stepped out into the chilled night air, the baby turned in his arms and cuddled up closer to his chest for warmth. Staring down at his godson, Sirius wrapped his coat about the infant and headed off into the night. 

Remus had been just about to doze off in his large, comfortable chair when the jovial voice of the news announcer snapped him back awake.

Lupin had taken to watching the muggle news casts at night as a way to beat his growing insomnia which was becoming progressively worse the longer he heard no word from Sirius. But he had soon found a wonderful sleep aid in the late night newscast, which for the most part, usually bored him to right to sleep.

But the announcer tonight was a fill-in for the regular late-night anchor person, and Remus had formed a general dislike for the man by the weather report.

He simply had to be a fill-in from the day-time anchors, Remus reasoned. He was way to perky to be a night-time anchor. Either that or he was new, not used to the late-night hours yet, and was hyped-up on coffee.

"Now here's an interesting story!" The smiling anchor beamed at the camera.

"Not!" Lupin replied wearily.

"Downtown London corner shops have reported a rash of robberies in the last few weeks. The per-pet-rator is reported by store owners to sneak into the store, grab his loot, and make a run for it. Not so unusual, right?" The man looked like he could barely contain his laughter. "Wrong. Shop owners report the thief isn't a person. He's a large, bushy, black dog."

Remus practically came out of his chair. "Dog?"

"That's right." The news anchor answered him on cue. "A dog. Several stores all over downtown London report they've been victims of this canine robber. But the story doesn't stop there. Police say that from reports by witnesses, it appears the only things the dog takes are baby items, such as diapers, food, and formula."

Remus was now practically glued to the screen.

"One store owner reportedly captured the dog, but a customer in the store inadvertently released him before Animal Services or the police could arrive. When asked if he was sure this was the same dog," (the news anchor was nearly beside himself by now), "the store owner was reported as to reply, 'Of course I'm sure. He matches the description perfectly.'"

Remus fell back in his chair, his white face staring at the television screen.

"So, folks," the news anchor finished up, "stand watch and guard those diaper bags. It appears we have a nappy bandit on the loose!"

Remus pointed the remote control at the television and turned it off.

"Merlin's beard!" He exclaimed softly as the picture receded to a small white dot in the center of the television screen. "What's he gotten himself into?"

Q&A

For Diamond:

theladyblue: Thank you. I'm very glad you enjoyed it.

For Family Life:

Mademoiselle Gabrielle: I am so glad you liked it. Keep watch for the sequel.

theladyblue: Again, thank you. I appreciate the time you gave to reading it.

For The Bonds That Tie:

Voltora: Thank you. Always happy to oblige when I can.

Katy: Ummmmm.....how can I put this and not give too much away nor completely confuse you. O.K., as I told one person once before, your train of thought is on the right track, but you've left the station without all your passengers.

Keep in mind I have another story coming out that is sort of the combined sequel of two stories in a weird way. The sequel to Family Life is going to continue that story, but is borrowing some concepts from Fever. So, maybe a few of the things you wanted to see happen, might.

I am so pleased you like my stories, however, I'm sorry, but I can't tell you anything I have written or anything about myself due to the contract with my publishers. (Go see Q&A from other chapters for a longer explanation of this. I believe there was one in the previous chapter Q&A. But I do get asked this quite a bit, and unfortunately can't answer.)

Zimmy Russell:

Darn! Ya' figured me out! Look, have you considered a little Expresso or some Cuban Coffee? You live in Florida, so I know you know what that is.

Yes, people not finishing stories is a big beef of mine.

DON'T tell me thing about movies I haven't seen! He ignored a poor little kitten in the snow!? That's so......Grinchy!

UNI!!!!!

How's it goin'?

Uni, you have won P.A.R.'s gold star for the week! (*) There you go. I am so happy SOMEONE caught that! And as you pointed out, to say more would give away plot lines, and I can't do that. Sorry.

I'm glad you liked the closing scene. A lot of people did and it's one of my favorites as well.

Marie Potter: Hmmmm....possibility the ministry is lying? Can I see a show of hands for all who could believe that? (Most hands in the room go up.) Not that I'm saying it's true, folks.

Me: P.A.R. is giving gold stars now. But not for that. Sorry.

Why wouldn't he think Sirius' stairs aren't quite making it to the attic? He watched the man for months do nothing but sit on a sofa and stare at a mirror, for cryin' out loud! I'd be on the phone to St. Mungo's. Besides, Remus thinks he's doing the right thing. You know Lupin..........!

Kat: Glad you like the story.

Yup. It was the bad old Deatheaters what blew up the Dursley's. (Does that make them bad or good?)

As for the spy-glass, no, because Remus has no idea where Sirius and Harry are. I'm assuming to operate one of these, you have to have a specific location in mind, not a person. Anyone?

Lady Foxfire: My muses keep me quite tied-up, thank you.

You're going to so love this story. It's more Sirius than anyone else.

Wyltk: I'm so glad you liked that scene. It's definitely one of my favorites.

No! You can't send me to my room. Only I can do that.

(By the wayyyyyy............., what are you doing out of your room?)

Abbsiegail: Ain't he though?

Dumbledore's True Love: Oh dear. Explanation time. Actually, I guess I can make this fairly short. Ahhh...., yeah, Godparents are just sort of there. In the Catholic faith, their job is basically to make sure the child is raise properly in the faith. However, I have read some wonderful variations on this theme in some of these stories, which give poor old Sirius a much more difficult, if not more complicated, role in Harry's life.

You're right. The Dursley's owe Sirius one.

VMR: Thank you.

Lin-z: I do try to keep my promises.

Imagine what a godfather will do for his godson.

In regards to the ministry official, see Marie Potter's answer above.

It wasn't much of a threat, but as I said, despite if the person is serious or just joking, I take offense at things like that.

Kyra aku riddle: O.K..

Answers as of 01192002.

Sorry if I missed you.

See you next week. 


	4. Chapter Three 'A': Misunderstandings

A/N: O.K., 'credit where credit is due' time, folks.

Unicorn Whisperer gets credit for sort of giving me the idea for this added chapter. As I said before, I felt that there was more I could do with this story than as it originally stands. To me, it moves too fast and misses some vital scenes. And sometimes in your reviews you ask legitimate questions that, should I not add chapters, would never get answered. Thus, this chapter came out of some things Unicorn Whisperer asked about, that, feeling the story didn't adequately deal with, I wrote this chapter to fill in the blanks. So, you guys can thank Unicorn Whisperer that the story is now one chapter longer than it was the week before.

Also, a quick word to you guys. Several of you over the course of these stories have stated you've been out looking for books with my initials on them. Whereas I appreciate the interest (really) in wanting to read some of my original work, I don't want to see anyone wasting their time. So let me give you some advice. 

Stop. 

I thought I mentioned this earlier, but maybe not. I haven't published a book in a few years. Books go out of publication in a few months these days. There are just so many of them, book stores switch them over every few weeks. So the chances you would be able to find anything by me rates somewhere between slim and nill.

Sorry. But please, continue to enjoy the ones I put up here. 

Chapter Three 'A': Misunderstandings

Sirius stood on the side walk, bathed in the dim light of the street lamp on the corner as he stared in the window of the store he had paused in front of. Inside several store window display televisions were showing the late night news cast. The irritating little man who was the news anchor was just wrapping up his last story about the large, black dog who had been nearly caught stealing from a neighborhood convince store.

Sirius swore softly as he stared at the television screen.

"Just wonderful." He lamented finally. "After everything else, now I'm making the eleven o'clock news. So, are you proud of me, Harry?" He asked, turning the baby resting in his arms to face him. "Godfather Sirius made the news tonight. Now not only is half the country out looking for me probably, now their looking for Padfoot as well."

Sirius sighed quietly as he turned and headed off down the street towards the abandoned building he had found for them to stay in that night. He had hoped to get out that night and find them something to eat. But Harry had been fussy about things that evening and refused to go to sleep. So Sirius had hoped a little walk would put him to sleep. But the baby simply wouldn't cooperate. 

Unfortunately, not being able to get Harry to go to sleep meant Sirius couldn't go out looking for food. And being unable to get them any supper wasn't helping with Harry's mood one bit.

Back at the abandon building, Sirius flattened out a cardboard box to give them some insulation off the cold, stone floor. Transforming into Padfoot, Sirius did his level best to get Harry to go to sleep, right down to allowing Harry to play with his tail for a good thirty minutes. But the baby continued to fuss over things and still won't go to sleep.

Blowing a snort of air out of his muzzle, Padfoot flopped his head down on his front paws in resolute surrender. It looked like it was going to be a sleepless night for everybody.

But after several minutes passed, Padfoot suddenly jerked his head up again, both ear pointed towards the door.

Soft footsteps echoed down the corridor.

Someone was in the building!

Padfoot got to his feet as Harry, who had been crawling over his back, rolled off of him onto the cardboard bed.

Well, being deprived of his bed as well as his entertainment, and having nothing to eat that night, was about all Harry could stand for one day. Without any preamble, the baby let out an ear spitting wail of distress.

Padfoot nearly jumped to the ceiling at the sudden cry from his godson. But almost immediately his head snapped back to the door.

"Heavens above!" A man's voice exclaimed from the darkness beyond the doorway. "Did you hear that, Maudy? That sounded like a baby!"

"Aye!" A young female voice answered. "I know a baby when I hear one, Garry. We best see what's up. Maybe they need some help."

Padfoot took a protective position over Harry as he positioned himself so all four feet encircled the baby. He easily could have transformed back into a man and tried to talk his way out of whatever trouble was heading their way. But he also had no idea what sort of trouble was heading their way. And maybe the trouble didn't want to talk. 

As he heard the footsteps growing closer, he put on his most threatening face and waited to see what would happen.

Soon he saw a dim light enter the corridor, which grew brighter as it approached the doorway. A second later a young man stepped around the corner of the doorway holding a flashlight in front of him.

Padfoot gave a low, threatening growl as the light settled on him.

"Good........" The man's voice trailed off as he stared at the huge, shaggy, black dog. "Maudy! It's a dog." The man exclaimed in a hushed whisper.

"That weren't no dog we heard." The girl replied. "That was a baby."

The man redirected the light carefully as not to startle the animal.

"Oh, saints above!" He stated in a hushed whisper.

"What is it, Garry?" She asked, coming into the room behind the man, but stopping abruptly at the sight of the large canine.

"Maudy," the man stated quietly, "the dog's got the baby between his feet. He probably was....you know...hurting the baby. Now he probably thinks we're here trying to take his supper away from him."

A frightened hand went to the girl's mouth. "Oh! Garry, we have to get that little baby away from him."

The man waved the girl back behind him. "You go get some help. I'll stay here. Make sure he doesn't try and hurt the baby further." The man replied.

Padfoot back up a few steps, listening to the conversation and not liking it one bit. Backing up far enough that he now had Harry in front of him, Padfoot reached down and picked the baby up by his diaper and took a few more steps back.

"Garry!" The girl exclaimed in a terrified voice. "He's going to try and make a run for it! And he's got the baby!"

Padfoot heard the click of the switchblade coming out, even though he never saw the knife itself.

"He ain't taking that baby nowhere." The man declared defiantly.

Padfoot pulled back several more steps. Then he realized quite suddenly that the only thing between him and the man's knife.......was Harry.

Padfoot quickly ducked his head, giving it a good swing as he tossed the baby back between his front feet hard enough that Harry rolled into his back legs with a solid hit.

Satisfied that Harry was out of any immediate danger, Padfoot turned back to the man and bared his teeth again.

"Garry!" The girl cried. "What are we gonna do? We can't leave that baby here. He'll kill it for sure!"

The man turned briefly back to his companion. "I told you to go get some help!" He stated sharply. "I can't get the kid away from him by myself, now can I?"

Sirius listened intently to the conversation. A sudden hope started to grow in his mind as he realized the man was as afraid of him as he was of Harry being taken from him. 

Hoping to use the man's fear against him, Padfoot suddenly arched his back up, bristled up his hair, hunched his massive shoulders, and let his mouth hang slightly open. Rivulets of Silva ran from each large canine as Padfoot growled low in his throat at the man before him.

To Padfoot's absolute delight, the man visibly paled at the sight.

"Oh saints above!" The man whispered. "This dog's got rabies."

Rabies!?

Sirius nearly transformed back in utter indignation at the suggestion. Ready to unleash a tirade on the man that he wouldn't know a dog with rabies if it was wearing a sign. Rabies, indeed. Didn't the idiot recognize an angry, not insane, dog when he saw one? But abruptly Padfoot realized that the man was likely more afraid of being bitten by a rabid dog than an angry one. With this in mind, the dog took several swiping bites at the man as he held the knife out in front of him.

The man took several rapid steps back. In his hasty retreat from the snapping jaws, he managed to trip over his own feet and landed on his back on the cement floor. But through it all he kept the knife held out in front of him.

Padfoot took several more swiping bites at the man, who waved his knife in front of him to ward off the massive dog. Then sensing a good opening, the dog reached between its front feet and grabbed hold of their small bag of supplies as well as the small bundle resting against its back legs. Pulling Harry out from cover, Padfoot took careful aim and with one massive leap, cleared his body over the man's and headed for the door. The only thing between him and freedom now was the wisp of a girl who had come in with the man.

Padfoot didn't see her as much of an obstacle and so he didn't give much thought to her, directing his attention on getting Harry out of danger. But as Padfoot ran for the door where the girl stood, she suddenly looked about in a panic, and, bending down, picked something up off the floor. With all her might the girl blindly swung her arm out in one last ditch effort to stop the dog as it ran past her.

The next sound Padfoot heard was the worst of his life. The baby being suspended from his jaws howled in pain and Padfoot could suddenly taste blood in his mouth.

Instinctively dropping the infant behind him, Padfoot swung about to meet the attacker.

The girl's eyes showed nothing but fear as she suddenly found herself staring into a jagged row of angry teeth. The large shard of glass in her hand fell to the floor with a deafening clatter as the dog growled very low in its throat. Behind him the baby wailed its pain again.

Looking up slowly, the girl found herself now looking into the eyes of the dog. Eyes that showed an all to human emotion of pure hatred.

But a sudden flash between them broke both their stares. 

In an instant Padfoot realized that the man had stepped back into the fight and that, in the dim light, the knife had missed his muzzle by only a fraction of an inch as the man swung it at him. Pulling back, Padfoot grabbed the supplies and Harry once again in his mouth and made for the front door of the building. He completely ignored the cries of the two people behind him and just kept running. He had to get to somewhere safe where he could stop and check Harry. See how badly he was injured.

Padfoot lost track of how far he had run. The growing panic in his mind simply drove him on. He had to get as far from muggles as he could before he stopped to check Harry. But not knowing how bad the injury was, he didn't want to risk going to long before checking it. So eventually the second worry outweighed the first and Padfoot finally stopped in a small field outside of the town. Laying Harry down in the grass, Sirius quickly transformed back into himself and, lighting the tip of his wand, began checking over his godson for injury. He could still taste the blood in his mouth, and he was sure the injury had to be something significant. 

But as he continued to frantically search the baby for injury, Sirius suddenly breathed a sigh of relief when he found the cut. It was on the back of Harry's left arm, and was really little more than a deep scratch. Just enough to cause it to bleed. Harry had evidently hit his arm against Padfoot's mouth right where the cut was, and that was why he had tasted the blood so easily.

With tears of relief in his eyes, Sirius picked Harry up from the soft grass.

"Well," Sirius commented as he started walking towards the bright lights in the distance of the next town, "you certainly gave godfather a bit of a scare, Harry."

Harry looked solemnly up at his godfather. He didn't like the sound of his usually comforting voice. All in all, he was still hungry. But food didn't seem forthcoming any time in the near future, despite how desperately he had tried to convey to the adult his need. And the events around him kept changing so fast, that at the moment he was just waiting for things to settle down. But now his comforting voice sounded so sad. Harry hated it when the adult sounded this way. Usually the voice was teasing, or playful, and sometimes even a little stern. But Harry hated it the most when it was sad. At those times, Harry didn't feel as safe and protected as he usually did in the man's arms. He tried to hold his tears back, since that only seemed to make things worse. Like when he cried in front of the other adults who would then yell at him. But he couldn't stop the feeling building up inside of him and soon one large tear rolled down his small cheek.

True to form, the distress in the man's voice came out loud and clear.

"Oh, no." Sirius pleaded quickly. "Not that, Harry. Anything but that. You know what that does to godfather."

Harry knew all too well. But he simply couldn't turn off his feelings with any success, and another tear brimmed over in the other eye.

"All right, all right." Sirius muttered to himself. "Think of something, Sirius. What would cheer him up?"

Sirius thought for a minute, then suddenly a smile crept across his face.

"Oh, I know what will do it." He answered the baby's questioning look with a small smile. 

As he continued to walk down the road, a soft lullaby began to fill the night air, followed shortly by the contented cooing of a small child. 

The next night the tides seemed for a moment to turn for Sirius when Padfoot happened to sniff up a ten pound note in an alleyway.

Ecstatic at his good fortune, Sirius headed for a small local pub he had noticed in the area and ordered up a small glass of milk for Harry. All the baby had had to eat that day was a small crust of bread Sirius still had from their bag of dwindling supplies and a little water from a water fountain. 

The barmaids all fussed like crazy over the baby. One managed to find an infant's cup in the back on a shelf and put the milk in it before offering it to Harry. But the baby only stared at the brightly colored cup for a few minutes without taking it.

"Go on, Jack. Take it." Sirius coaxed his godson. 

'Jack' was what Sirius called Harry whenever they were in public since he had no idea if the police had released Harry's name to the public or not. And he had wanted a name that was as far sounding from Harry as possible.

Harry stared at the cup for a few more minutes, then turned abruptly and burrowed his face into Sirius' coat, enlisting a round of 'Awwww's' from the barmaids. But for Harry it was simply too much attention and too many people for his liking. He grabbed hold of his godfather's coat and pulled it around him to hide from view as much as possible, enlisting another chorus of 'Awwww's' from the barmaids. Sirius reached out and took the pre-offered cup and thanked the girl holding it with his most charming smile. The barmaids stood about watching as Sirius nudged Harry in the back with the cup, coaxing him out with a soft, reassuring voice.

Very slowly Harry peered back out from the folds of Sirius' jacket. It took several tries to get Harry to stay in view since, at the sight of all the faces peering at him and the chorus of 'Awwww's' every time he did anything, he wasn't very keen on abandoning the safe cave of his godfather's coat. But at the constant nudging and coaxing of the one person he knew and trusted, Harry finally reached tentatively for the cup. With Sirius' help, Harry brought the cup to his mouth and carefully sampled the contents. But within seconds the cup was suddenly upended by Harry as he sucked eagerly at the small opening, enlisting once again the round of 'Awww's' from the barmaids. A different girl quickly offered to refill the cup as Harry began waving it at the gathering. As she hurried off, several of the others began chatting with Sirius, who quickly realized that had the situation not been so desperate, this would have been a great set up. Baby's were babe-magnets, Sirius discovered. Half of the gathered barmaids were playing with Harry as he sat in Sirius' lap, while the other half were flapping their eyelashes at his godfather.

"Oy!" Came a sudden call from the bar.

The girls looked over their shoulders at the barkeeper.

"I'm not paying you girls to baby-sit." He called. "Get on with it now."

The girls loudly voiced their disappointment and slowly began drifting off back to the other tables as the one returned with the glass of milk.

Having learned quickly, Harry reached out two tiny arms for the cup as soon as he saw it. The barmaid obligingly handed the cup over to Harry's two eagerly grasping hands. The girl hung about for a little bit, talking with Sirius, until the barkeeper called her off as well.

"Well, how about that, Harry?" Sirius whispered to his godson as Harry again eagerly sucked down the glass of milk. "You, my little godson, are the world's biggest babe-magnet. They love you. Godfather will have to remember that when this mess is all straightened out. Take you out with him to bars. You think Remus will like that?"

Harry stared up at his godfather past the bottom of the cup. All that mattered to him at the moment was that milk kept coming out of the hole in the top of the cup. But that soon stopped and Harry stared down at the cup for a second before eagerly waving it in Sirius' face, managing one good hit on his godfather's nose with it to make sure he had his attention.

"You can't want more?" Sirius asked. "You've had two already."

Harry waved the cup enthusiastically, again whapping Sirius on the nose with it. And when that didn't get instant results, Harry turned about in his godfather's lap and began waving the cup in the air.

That had worked last time.

Sirius shook his head and waved to one of the barmaids, who practically apparated across the bar.

"Once more, little guy?" She asked in a high, cute voice as she wiggled a finger at the baby.

Harry happily giggled and reached out for the offered finger.

"I'm hoping he stops there." Sirius lamented. "I only....brought a ten pound note with me."

The girl waved him off. "Oh, don't even bother with it, Sir. The girls are seeing to it." Sirius looked up to see a few of the barmaids wave at him and a few others wink. Sirius gave them a small wave back. No need to encourage them with a wink, he told himself. Not with a baby around.

"So you just give this little man all he wants." The barmaid added as she took the cup Harry was waving at her.

Sirius suddenly put on one of his most charming smiles as he looked up hopefully at the barmaid. "I don't suppose," he asked quietly, "that we might have a small piece of bread that he could soak in that next cup? You see, we haven't gotten home in time for supper yet. Been a long day out in the country, I'm afraid. Poor Jack's famished."

The barmaid cooed at the baby. "Ohhhhh, is little Jacky hungry. I think we can get him a nice biscuit to go with his milk. Yes we can."

Sirius smiled his appreciation at the barmaid as she hurried off as Harry bounced happily in his lap. "Well, looks like you're getting your own supper tonight, Harry." Sirius whispered to his godson.

Harry didn't seem to mind. The pretty woman was leaving again. The last time she did that, she came back with milk. Harry waited in happy anticipation.

In a matter of minutes, sure enough, the barmaid was back. In her one hand she carried the same cup and a nice large biscuit for Harry, who quickly reached for them both as he began babbling off a string of syllables in anticipation. In her other hand she carried a large bowl that she sat down in front of Sirius. 

Almost immediately the smell of stew made Sirius' stomach growl loudly.

The girl giggled. "Just as I thought." She said with a smile. "I figured if the little guy hadn't eaten, neither had his father."

Sirius quickly pulled back from the bowl. "That's very kind of you." He said quickly, before his resolve broke completely. "But I told you, I only have...."

"Don't worry about it." The barmaid said in a hushed whisper as she leaned over the table with a smile. "Consider it a fair trade for getting to serve this little cutie." She added, pinching Harry's cheek.

Sirius smiled his thanks again, although inwardly he cringed.

"Sorry about that, Harry." Sirius said after the barmaid left and as Harry took a bite of his biscuit after Sirius dunked it in the cup of milk after he took the lid off. "Looks like you were the one who had to work for our supper tonight."

Harry stared up at Sirius with his to large green eyes, happily chewing away on his biscuit.

Sirius did his level best not to attack the stew like a starving man. Inbetween bites he would take Harry's biscuit and dunk it in the thick stew broth so Harry had a little something more that night then just bread and milk. For Harry's part, he seemed to take an instant liking to the stew. And as soon as his biscuit was finished, stood up precariously in Sirius' lap and began dipping his hand into the bowl, which he would then lick off with a contented smile. When Sirius had finished the larger bits of food, Harry had quickly dragged the bowl to the edge of the table and, with Sirius' help had plastered it over his face and eagerly began licking out anything that remained. As soon as Harry licked the last of the contents from the bowl, and Sirius placed it back on the table, one of the barmaids who had been watching with a great deal of amusement, came over with a small rag and help Sirius clean the baby up, whose face had a considerable amount of broth on it. Thanking her for her help as she left, Sirius scooted his way to the edge of the seat, leaving the ten pound note behind as a tip. But he suddenly found the exit from the booth blocked by a tall, thin, extremely pretty young woman.

No, pretty wasn't quite the right word. The woman was absolutely gorgeous. Tall, slender, well shaped legs disappeared up under a short but tasteful, black skirt that ended wrapping itself around a thin waist. A pale, long sleeved, blue shirt took over from there as it folded itself over a well-proportioned upper torso. The crowning end of the combination was a flawless face, framed by raven black hair.

Sirius stared up at the woman for a few seconds before recovering himself.

"Was there something I can do for you?" Sirius asked in a falsely pleasant tone. He wasn't in the mood to be held up by one more eager date-seeker. He already felt he and Harry had stayed far too long at the pub.

"One might asked you that question?" The woman purred in a silky smooth voice. 

"Pardon me?" Sirius asked.

"If you came in here looking for a place to stay, I'm afraid you'll find them all booked up." The woman tilted her head towards the stairs of the pub. "But I already have a room upstairs, and I'm not opposed to sharing."

Sirius considered the statement as he mentally looked himself over. Granted, he hardly looked like a vagrant, (days of being able to get a free shower every time it rained will do that for you.), but he didn't look fresh as a Spring day either.

'Merlin's Beard!' Sirius thought. 'Talk about being forward about things.'

"You'll have to excuse me," Sirius commented flatly, "but my wife is waiting for my son and me to return home. We're late getting back."

"You're not married." The woman stated back in the same flat tone, not moving to get out of Sirius' way.

"And you would know this because...?"

The woman gestured to Sirius' left hand. "No ring. Unless, of course....," she added, "...you took it off. In which case I would guess we're both pretty much here for the same reason."

Sirius now looked genuinely shocked. "In case you didn't notice, I'm here with my son!" He pointed out irritably. "And I think he's still a little young to be learning things like that!"

The woman turned her head and gave the baby a look Sirius didn't consider even remotely friendly. And apparently neither did Harry as he wiggled his way deeper into Sirius' jacket under the woman gaze.

"And such a cute little thing he is, too." She said with a small smile.

Sirius edged towards the end of the seat. "And if you'll excuse us, we'll just be on our way."

"Are you sure you won't reconsider the offer, Mr. Black?" The woman asked in the same silky smooth voice, that, although she seemed to barely whisper it, carried more than enough volume to be heard.

Sirius managed somehow not to look at all surprised by the woman knowing his name.

"I'm sorry." He replied in a low, almost menacing voice. "My name isn't Black."

"And your 'son's' name isn't Harry." The woman replied. "Yes, I know."

"Look," Sirius stated coolly as he got to his feet, forcing the woman to take a few steps back, "I don't know who you are, but I'm taking my son home now."

"And where would that be tonight?" She asked, making no further move to get out of Sirius' way. "Another abandoned building? A park bench? A field?"

"Now you listen to me," Sirius stated in a low, threatening growl, "I don't know what you think you know about me or my son...."

"I know very little about you, Mr. Black." The woman replied as she reached down and pulled up the sleeve of her shirt. Sirius glanced down as she held her arm up slightly, wrist up. Burned into her skin was the figure of a skull, a snake protruding from its mouth. "But the dark lord knows a great deal."

Sirius froze on the spot.

A Deatheater.

How in the name of heaven had they managed to track him this far from London? Even the ministry apparently had no idea where he was at the present time. But some idiot Deatheater had managed it? This was not good.

"Don't look so abashed, Mr. Black." The woman answered his furrowed brow. "It took me days to locate you again once you left London."

"I'm honored." Sirius replied flatly.

"You should be. Not many people can elude me as well as you have. You've been quite the naughty boy, making me work so hard to find you."

Sirius gave the woman a decidedly unfriendly smile. "You have no idea how 'naughty' I can be."

The woman only smiled up at him. "Maybe later, Mr. Black. Right now, we have business outside."

"I don't remember any business outside." Sirius replied, thinking as fast as he could while he stalled the woman about how to get Harry safely away from the danger.

"Mr. Black," the woman stated firmly, "would you like to step outside, or would you like for me to announce to this pub full of nice muggles just 'who' you are? Believe me, they all know about the man who kidnapped a child from it's relatives. It's been all over the news for weeks now. You're quite the eleven o'clock news story. Now, do you really want to take your chances with the muggle police, or with me?"

Sirius paused for a minute more. But he honestly saw no alternative at the moment but to do what the woman wanted.

Getting to his feet, Sirius slowly walked towards the door of the pub, delaying each step as much as he could so he had some time to think. Some time to try and formulate a plan. But the harder he tried, the more futile the effort seemed to be. At the present he saw no escape, and so decided the best course of action was to wait for the chance to present itself.

Once outside, Sirius turned back around to face the woman, holding Harry as close to his body as he could to keep him from any harm.

"All right." Sirius said. "Now what?"

"Well, that's entirely up to you, Sirius." The woman purred at him.

Sirius wondered when they got to a first name bases between the booth and the door of the pub.

"Really? Then I'm all for you going your way and me going mine, Miss......?" If the woman knew his name, he felt it was only fair he knew her's.

"You can call me Katlin." The woman gave him a tight lipped smile. "And you're terribly amusing, Mr. Black. Do get into the car, please."

Katlin.

Sirius rolled the name around in his mind several times. The name raised a number of flags, but he just couldn't place where he had heard the name in relation to any Deatheaters. 

Waving the thought off for the moment, Sirius turned around to see a small, red sports car parked at the curb.

"Awfully small for three people." He commented.

"I assure you, we'll all fit just fine."

Sirius sighed quietly to himself and carefully climbed into the car with Harry. The woman came in after him, nudging him over with the tip of her wand.

"All the way over, Mr. Black." She instructed.

Sirius look affronted. "What? I don't get to drive?"

"You don't know the way."

"I'm good with directions."

The woman nudged him again. "Would you like to see how your little godson fairs twice against the killing curse? Or better yet, we can see just how immune you are to it."

Sirius sighed again and moved over to the other side of the car.

"And don't bother with the door. It's locked magically." The woman was quick to point out.

Sirius tried the door just the same, which was indeed locked.

"So," Sirius asked as the woman settled in behind the wheel, "too much to asked where we're going?"

"That's of no importance right now, Mr. Black."

"It is to me. Although I can pretty well guess. Deatheater Central?"

"My orders," the woman stated with a touch of annoyance in her tone, "are to take the child to the dark lord."

"So Voldemort can kill my godson once and for all?" 

"Black, Voldemort does not want to hurt the child. The Potter child is very special. The dark lord sees that now. He wants the child safe, and unharmed."

"Then why bother with the car? Why not just apparate us all there?"

"Because I doubt you would let go of that child long enough for me to apparate him to Voldemort."

"I can apparate with my godson on my own."

"Oh, look," the woman stated with a pleased smile, "another reason! She started the car and pulled away from the curb. "I'm no fool, Sirius. Even with every tracker and direction spell on you we could think of, I don't doubt for a minute that you could break free in mid-apparation and escape. This way, I can keep my eye on you....and your little godson. Besides," she said pleasantly enough, "the drive will give us some time to talk."

Sirius couldn't for the life of him think of what he would want to spend heaven only knew how much time talking to a Deatheater about, so he remained silent. Maybe the drive was also to serve as an interrogation session.

Sirius sat and waited for the questioning to start, but for the majority of the drive the woman said nothing. All the better to Sirius, since the silence gave him time to think. All in all, the fact that they were moving wasn't bad. It got them a free trip far from where they had been. Somewhere Sirius felt they needed desperately to be. The problem was how to get out of the car before they got to their destination, and how would he know when they were close?

Lost in his thoughts, Sirius snapped back to the present when the car abruptly pulled off the road and came to a stop.

"Well, now, Mr. Black," the woman said as she shifted the seat to face him a bit better, "suppose we have that talk now?" 

Sirius didn't answer the woman, but only stared back at her as he again moved Harry closer in to his chest, waiting to see what was coming and what opportunities or danger it presented.

The woman suddenly softened her tone and her expression.

"Look, I know what you think of Deatheaters."

"Then shame on you for being a lady and having thoughts like that." Sirius replied flatly.

The woman sighed loudly in the close confines of the little car. "Now listen to me, you fool. Things can be very pleasant or very...unpleasant for both you and your little godson. Which they are depends solely on you. Now, Voldemort at the moment wants only the child, not you. You are valuable to him, no doubt. The child trusts you and that makes you important."

Sirius turned quickly to Harry, shaking a tiny hand as it grabbed for his finger. "Why, thank you, Harry." He stated. 

"As I said," the woman went on with a small touch of annoyance in her voice, "Voldemort at first only wants the child. After that...." The woman smiled coyly at Sirius, "I suppose you.....would be...well, turned over to whoever Voldemort chooses to give you too." She added, the smile becoming much more seductive. "And Voldemort will owe me some reward for bringing him the child. Do you see where I'm going, Mr. Black?"

"Consolation prize?" Sirius asked.

"Hardly." She practically purred. "And this way you don't have to worry about your little godson seeing anything inappropriate. It'll just be you....and me. A nice meal....a warm bath....and a nice warm bed. Doesn't that sound better than wandering the streets, or even better than a dark cold dungeon cell?" The woman gave Sirius another tantalizing smile.

"Well." Sirius cleared his throat. "A good meal...a warm bath.....and a pretty lady. Considering the alternatives, that's an offer that's hard to turn down."

"No one's asking you too."

"And Voldemort.....your master....he doesn't want to hurt Harry?" Sirius asked with a sudden note of genuine concern, edged with suspicion in his voice.

The woman shook her head quickly. "I swear to you, as a Deatheater." She promised. "This child survived a killing curse. Voldemort wants to know why. He feels that this child is very special. That he could grow up to be an extremely powerful wizard. And such a child needs to be guided properly. Have the right teachers. The right...parent." She added, giving Sirius a softened look. "You think the ministry is going to let you keep this baby, Sirius? They'll take him away from you. Want to know themselves why he survived. You'll never see this child again once they have him. But Voldemort has no desire to take Harry away from you. The baby needs a father. Someone he knows and loves. Someone he trusts. You could be the father to one of the most powerful wizards of our time. And Voldemort would be most pleased if you were to....raise Harry right. Make sure he understood things. How the world is. How people are. I'm sure you would do very well raising your son, Sirius." The woman moved up against him slightly. "And there would be so many nice, fringe benefits for you." She purred again. "The dark lord is very good at rewarding those who serve him properly. You could asked for...anything......and he would give it to you."

Sirius studied the woman for a moment, a small amount of sweat on his forehead. 'This woman could make you sweat if you were standing before the open door of a freezer', he thought. Slowly Sirius turned to his godson. "Well..., now, Harry," he said carefully, "I...I don't want you thinking poorly of me, all right. But you have to understand......," Sirius turned to the woman for a minute and looked her over again, then turned back to Harry, "...sometimes things aren't just black and white. Good and bad. Sometimes you have to take other things into consideration."

"Listen to your father, Harry." The woman purred at the baby as she leaned over Sirius' shoulder, stroking his arm through his sleeve.

"And sometimes," Sirius went on in a slightly less steady voice, "you just have to...do things that, while others may think they're wrong, you still have to do them because.....well, at the moment, it just feels like the best thing in the world to do. And you might even enjoy it, even though others say its wrong. And there's nothing wrong with that. Sometimes bad things feel really good. All right? So," Sirius stared right into his godson's eyes, "you just don't think any the worse of me for what I'm about to do, O.K.?"

Without a second's hesitation Sirius rounded in his seat and hit the woman square in the face.

"Now," Sirius stated firmly to his godson as the woman slumped unconscious back in her seat, "Harry, that was wrong! Very, very wrong! But...," Sirius quickly laid Harry on the floor of the car and pulled out his own wand and unlocked the door. He ran about to the other side of the car, and, depositing the woman on the side of the road where she couldn't be seen, jumped back in on the drivers side. Quickly he started the car, and putting Harry back up on the seat as he strapped the baby in as best he could, he turned back to his godson. "...sometimes you just have to look at the whole situation, Harry."

The small sports car pulled quickly back onto the road and sped off into the night.

Late in the night Remus sat sprawled out once again in his large, over-stuffed recliner. The day had been spent at the ministry, answering a long list of questions that were supposedly going to help locate Sirius and Harry.

Sighing to himself, Remus picked up the remote control and turned on the television set. He cringed as the sight of the same newscaster from before greeted him. But thankfully, Remus noted, he didn't seem as cheerful as he had been the other night.

"And now we have a story that's a continuation of one we brought you before." The newscaster stated soberly. "Earlier we reported a large, black dog had been nearly caught by a neighborhood store owner. The dog, it appeared, had been stealing from local stores. Now it appears that the dog was spotted again by a vagrant couple when they went into an abandoned building in Telser, a small town miles from where the dog was last spotted."

Remus' eyes snapped open.

"But this time, the couple reported, the dog had a baby with him. The couple reported that they had been attracted to where the child was by its cries. When they found the baby, they told police it was lying in front of a large black dog that matches the description of the one that had been stealing from the local stores in Delshion. The man told police they tried to get the baby away from the dog, but that it savagely attacked them, grabbed the baby in its mouth, and ran off. The man reported as well that he believes the dog to be rabid."

"Rabid?" Remus questioned suddenly, remembering what the ministry member had told him they thought about Sirius' state of mind at present.

"Police are currently instigating a search of the area for the dog and the child," the newscaster went on, "and the public is asked to immediately call their local authorities if they have any information that may help the police locate the baby or may know who the child is. In other news...."

But Remus was no longer watching the newscast. Instead he was crouched in front of his fire, tapping it hastily with his wand.

A young witch's face appeared in the fire.

"Yes, sir?" She asked pleasantly.

"Get me Mr. Calver, right away." Remus stated. "Tell him its Remus Lupin. And its urgent. Tell him....," Remus paused for a moment as he thought, "...tell him I think I know where we'll find Sirius Black."

Q&A

Ya' (perfectly good word) know, maybe its just my imagination, or the over-inflated ego I've been getting from you guys, (you're such GOOD reviewers), but it seems to me that since I started doing this, there are an awfully lot more of them coming up in stories. Hmmmmm, nice to think I started a trend. But the truth of the matter is, I got the idea from someone else. So I guess I can't go there.

Oh, 'who', by the way? From audiaa2 and her story Veracity. I do, in fact, credit her with this trend, and also highly recommend her series.

Anyway, on with the Q&A.

For Diamond:

ME: Yeah, kittens are cute, right? Well, they also grow up into CATS, of which I have two. (Had a third, named Charm. Get it? Three's a charm. Decided domestic life was not for her. Current address, the swamp I live in.) Anyway, let me clue you in to something. Cats do make wonderful pets....of their owners. Go get some fish. They're easier. (Have those too, by the way.)

Honestly, cats are great. P.A.R. loved her children very much. One day I'm sure I'll turn into the old lady on the street with all the cats. (Oh, wait! I think I'm already there. Let me check. I'm old. I'm a lady. I live on a street. I have cats. Yup! I've arrived! *sigh*.)

RioRaptor: I'm glad you liked it. Another satisfied customer. Actually, Diamond was one of my favorites to write.

For Fever:

OSTIA: Look, I gotta ask. Does the name stand for anything? I mean, you people asked me about mine. Turnabouts fair play, right?

Anyway, yes, Fever was suppose to be only twelve chapters long, but, as Chapter Thirteen's title said, it was added since I had some promises to keep.

Orion Miller: Wull?

I hope you thank your parents for naming you that.

She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named: There you are! Thought you left.

I hope you beat your sister to Book 5. Someone inadvertently spilled the beans to me about the whole mystery in Book 3. I felt very cheated. That was a fairly major story arc. Oh, well. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Glad you're back.

For The Bonds That Tie:

hello: Yes, Family Life is being sequeled in an upcoming story called Family Ties. Everyone got so interested in Sirius' rarely mentioned and never seen older brother, Orion Black, I had to get him into a story. He is featured quite prominently in Family Ties, and in that story's sequel as well. But I haven't decided if I'll take it any further than that. Unfortunately, it is a fairly long story and will take a bit of time to get it out. I'm aiming for some time in the Spring. At the very least I'm trying to beat Ms. Rowling (or is it Mrs. now?) to publication. Since when Book 5 comes out I feel my readership will fall off drastically.

The shower is turning out to be very little fun indeed. Part of the first grouting attempt failed and we had to re-do it. Second attempt to grout today. It would probably help if I had a clue as to what I was doing.

Voltora: THAT"S it? Get out a Thesaurus! Come on. You can find some more.

Just kidding, of course. Thank you for such kind words of praise.

The Bonds That Tie is a multi-chapter story, so there is certainly more on the way.

I hope you enjoy it.

Me: Nope, Unicorn Whisperer got the gold star last week. Sorry.

I think this one qualifies as 'longer'.

Lady FoxFire: This delivery is to inform you that under the laws of the existing penal codes you are hereby being sued for 'Having A Thing For Sirius'.

Now get out of my way! I have a TON of these things to deliver! *Summons Server hurries off.*

Lin-z: Ohhhhhh, questions! P.A.R. likes questions.

So much so, that she asks them herself. Ummmmm, do you mean why don't they stay in one place, or why don't they stay in a 'better' place?

They don't stay in one place because Sirius figures someone is looking for them. Either the ministry or the muggle police men. After all, he did kidnap a baby. That's gotta be against the law! (Keep in mind, Sirius has no idea what else the ministry is looking for him for.)

Why don't they stay some place better? He has no money. Granted, that wasn't laid out in the story, but Sirius won't access his vault currently for fear of being caught if he tries. Fear of being caught for what? See above paragraph.

How long is The Bonds That Tie? Now that's a good question. As you can see from this chapter title, the story's length is a fluctuating thing, depending on good suggestions. I mentioned once already I felt I could do more with this story than it's current chapters, and thus am subsequently adding chapters. How long will it be? I wouldn't suspect much longer than Fever. 

Messy living conditions, huh? I have yet to meet the person I couldn't teach the meaning of those words.

Kiara O. Lawrence: P.A.R. is soooooooooooo sorrrrrrrrrry! She will make it up to you. Just have to think of how.

No one's reviewing your story? Heavens, we are having a bad week, aren't we? I'll see if I can get to it. Just remember, P.A.R. reviews honest, not nice.

Sorry, I only post once a week now because my job is interfering with my real life. 

Purple Ink: An English Essay on THREE WORDS? What kind of an assignment is that? Newscasters tend to annoy the whatsies out of me. Especially the ones that try to be cute. I hate that. I want my news straight, folks, not delivered amid cute remarks. But when I wrote that scene, that's just the remark I could see Lupin making to that statement. Mind you, he hasn't been getting lot of sleep lately, he' suffering from insomnia, he's worried about Sirius and Harry, and he's got the ministry to contend with. The man's bound to be a bit cynical. 

The Bonds That Tie will run just slightly longer than Fever, or maybe a bit more. (See Lin-z's answer.)

I'm very pleased I'm in your 'favorites' list. I've actually heard from quite a few people that I've made that list elsewhere as well. Thank you.

Zimmy Russell: I hear ya! Hate the stuff myself.

Now wait a minute. Did you or didn't you say there was a kitten at the beginning of the Grinch movie? Don't play with P.A.R. like that. She loves cats.

Worried about Harry and Sirius last time? Heavens, where are you now? And this is just the dark before the storm.

To keep you updated on the Jolt Cola search. I'm still working on that. I'm drinki....errr....looking into them as fast....ummmm.....as soon as I can.

Wolf!

How's life treating you?

My best yet, huh? Thank you. But weren't you the anguish lover? You should just naturally love this story.

Ohhhhh, good. I created an irresistible character! (O.K., technically, 're-created'. But you get the point.).

Boy! Lot of questions. P.A.R. likes you!!!

True enough, Sirius needs to come down to earth and realize he's got some problems. He's painting himself into one very small corner and things aren't looking to get much better. And they definitely can't keep living like they are. After all, babies need a lot more than just food, diapers, and a fur rug to sleep on. And it isn't even winter yet!

By the way, yes, I have read Lord Of The Rings, but it was ages ago. I remember very little of it.

Marie Potter: Maybe.

Actually, you and me need to have a chat after the next chapter or so.

No, no. Nothing bad. It's just for certain reasons I don't want to answer you just yet.

Lotesse:  
English Teacher!

Good Lord! I missed you last time too?! What was going on with me that night?

I know a week is a long time, but work is starting to interfere with my personal life right now. Sad, isn't it?

O.K., I can see your point. But Sirius is sort of in a little funk at the start of this story. I mean, his best friends were just killed, he feels he is in some way responsible, and where he was sure he would get custody of his godson, the one bright shining moment in all of this for him, even that is snatched away from him. That, and he's a few ants short of his picnic. He's just not up to kicking anyone's butt right now, I'm afraid.

What!!!!!? No....no........no sparkle????!!!!!!! *P.A.R. gets misty for a minute.* O.K., so I can't hit 'em out of the ball park all the time.

Harry's actually got a lot to do in this story. But keep in mind I have to follow the child labor laws. So I can't have him working too much.

You think Remus is protective now, you haven't seen the werewolf get protective.

The sequel to Family Life is being worked on currently. I generally work on several stories at once. That way, I can switch off when I start getting bored with one. Currently I am working on about four of them. The sequel to Family Life, Family Ties, should be out sometime in the Spring. It will be followed probably in the Winter by the sequel to Family Ties. (Yeah, sequels to sequels.) Family Ties will likely be fairly long. But the sequel to that will likely not be that long.

Uninitiated?!!!! Ha! I read Lord Of The Rings in high school. And trust me, that was a while ago. But hey, nice endorsement!

So, did Lord Of The Rings win anything?

I kind of thought Harry reaching up and grabbing the muzzle of an obviously agitated dog without the slightest hint of fear was kinda cute.

No, the ministry does not know about Padfoot. And it's unlikely Remus will tell. (That could lead to some embarrassing questions, no?)

I'm glad you liked the news anchor scene. It was actually sort of a last minute add on. And as you saw in this chapter, he was back again, though a little more solemn.

Weekly provider of top-notch fanfiction? Ohhhhhh, I think I like that title. I don't know how deserved it is, but thank you. 

Unicorn Whisperer: Wow! You win the gold star again. Why? Because P.A.R. used your idea....sort of. (See Author's Notes.) Anyway, you got credit for giving the idea for this chapter. Isn't it amazing what one little off-handed comment can evolve into?

A&P? Good Lord! Are there still A&P's out there?!

Alliteration? That word has more than three syllables! What are you, woman? An English Teacher!

Just to set the record straight (because so many people seem to think he was there), Peter was not one of the Deatheaters that attacked the Dursley's. He simply doesn't have (in my opinion) the magical strength to have broken through the wards.

Dumbledore's True Love: Oh....., you were so going to get this weeks gold star. But Unicorn Whisperer got it first. I'm sorry. You were going to get it for poor humor appreciation for the newscasters play on words.

I'll see what I can do about the poems. I am starting to try and read and review a few stories.

Hayleyhedwig 11: Oh, I was doing just great last week, wasn't I? First I missed Kiara, (again), and now I missed you as well. I must have been half asleep or something.

The Jolt Cola thing is no real mystery. I'm just trying to help Zimmy Russell find Jolt Cola in Florida.

A 'free' Sirius? Keep in mind, this is an AU story. Sirius hasn't been officially charged with anything yet.(Oh, O.K., he kidnapped a baby, but he hasn't been charged with that yet.)

Without Remus' help, it's unlikely the ministry would have a lot of luck tracking Sirius. That's why they came to Remus for help.

Actually, I don't think Remus is the one nearing a breakdown.

I did warn you, you wouldn't find my initials anywhere unless you know what you're looking for. (See the author's notes.).

Yeah, good old Remus. He isn't in any danger.....yet.

I'm glad you liked Family Life so much. Why, oh why did so few people catch that line? I thought it was too cute, and a way-big foreshadower.

Family Life is indeed being sequeled. I'm working on that one right now. However, it is fairly long, so I'm not expecting it to start posting until sometime in the Spring.

Sphinx: So, you're Zimmy's friend, huh?

Now let me asked you something. If I have an idea for a story, why would I give it away? Hmmmm? Now, 'sell' has some possibilities.......! Just kidding of course. Unfortunately, I'm working on so many different projects right now I'm afraid my ability to come up with story lines is being stretched a bit thin right now. I mean, look, I'm pilfering ideas from Unicorn Whisperer, for heaven sake!

Nagini: First of all, you changed your name?!!!!!! That confuses P.A.R. so badly.

Next. *Gives reviewer a stern look.* It's dragging out??????!!!!!!! ROOM! NOW! NO SUPPER! 

This is a special response going out to Kcarke, who, in the story(?) Recommended Reading List, put my name down as one of the authors they would recommend to be read in their review of that story.

Thank you.

By the way, whatcha got against Diamond and A Dog's Day? You didn't recommend them.

O.K.! Did I miss anybody THIS time? Heavens, please slap me and tell me if I did.

See you next week.


	5. Chapter Three 'B': What's A Godfather To...

A/N: Just to set the record straight from the last chapter, folks, the 'using Harry as a babe-magnet' thing is credited to Unicorn Whisperer. I fully and freely admit that she was the one who gave me the idea. (Yes, P.A.R. needs to come up with some ideas of her own.). The reason Uni was not credited was because, whereas I remembered the concept, I couldn't remember the story it came from.

Also, it's not often that I endorse other story in my author's notes, but I feel I would be doing you a great disservice not to mention this to you. There is a story out there called It's A One Time Thing That Just Happens A Lot, by Starlight. This is a Snape Romance and is beyond a shadow of a doubt one of the finest Snape stories I have ever read. Starlight has written a wonderful, intriguing, beautiful story while managing to somehow stay absolutely true to the character of Severus Snape. I have simply not to date read a finer story dealing with this character than Starlight's and I can not recommend highly enough that you hit the title button right now (I wasn't able to pull it up under Author) and go read this truly wonderful story.

That's all. Thank you.

On with the story.

Chapter Three: What's A Godfather To Do?

Sirius sat on the steps of an alleyway door of a large, old building in downtown London. The rain had been falling steadily all that day and, it seemed to Sirius, for days before that as well.

From somewhere nearby a church steeple rang out the time. Eight o'clock.

Things had started out so well, Sirius could hardly believe how rapidly they had deteriorated. 

Over a week ago he and Harry had arrived in London. A city Sirius knew probably better than any other. He had driven the sports car to a small nearby town and left it there. He hoped it would be several more weeks before the police started making any connections between him and the car and where it was found. By then he planned to have Harry and himself entrenched within the population of the city so deeply no one could ever find them.

Once he had gotten rid of the car, he had managed to hitch a ride into London where he and Harry had spent the last several days. Safely lost among the thousands of people in city. But from the minute they arrived Sirius began to realize things weren't going to be as easy as he thought. Everything just seemed to be working against him all of the sudden. The story of the large, baby-food stealing dog was well known in London and the small store owners, Sirius soon found out, were weary of any dogs in their stores. And Snuffles size alone made him hardly inconspicuous. Out of desperation Sirius had even taken to threatening one storeowner, growling at him as the man tried to shoo him out of the store. All Sirius had managed that trip was a can of powdered baby formula. But it had served well in keeping Harry fed for a few days.

Sirius' original plan from arriving in London had been to wait for things to settle down, stay hidden for a while, and then perhaps go to Remus for help. Moony was usually good at straightening out messes like the one he was currently in. But only a few days after he and Harry had arrived in London, Sirius had been perusing a newsstand when his attention was suddenly drawn to the front page of the daily paper. There, in a clear black and white muggle photograph, was his picture. The caption underneath had listed his name and briefly stated that he was being sought for questioning involving the kidnapping of a infant.

Sirius saw all his plans suddenly dissolve. How could he hope to go to Remus' now? The muggle police were looking for him, which surely meant the ministry was looking for him as well. He tried to read some of the article next to the picture, but the newsstand owner was staring at him in a way that made Sirius very nervous suddenly. And so he had hurried off without getting much out of the story.

Since that day, Sirius had stayed away from crowds as much as possible as well as think what he was going to do now. The public at large knew that the police were looking for a man with a young infant. Hardly a common sight. A woman, yes. But a man? More of a rarity. And so Sirius had taken to hiding with Harry during the day either out in the country away from the city, or staying in abandoned buildings until sunset. 

Sirius sat slightly hunched over, trying to keep the crying infant in his arms dry with his body. Harry had been crying as steadily as the rain had been falling for the past hour. Sirius had tried everything he could think of to pacify his crying godson. Everything but what he knew the baby actually wanted. Food. And food was the one thing Sirius didn't have.

He desperately tried again to quite his crying godson. But in the middle of trying to sooth the infant, he suddenly began coughing. He turned his face quickly away from Harry. Despite the spell he had cast to keep Harry safe from his illness, he still feared the baby would get sick.

The cough had started their second day in London. That had been over a week ago. But what had started as a slight cough was now a frequent cough, a high fever, and extreme difficultly breathing. He could feel each breath he took as it rattled into his chest, where it felt like someone had a tight grip on his lungs and was only allowing him a minimum amount of air. On top of that, the illness for some reason had affected his ability to transform into Padfoot, cutting off the only way Sirius had had to get them food and other supplies. The last time Harry had had any milk was two days ago. And his last ration of food for the baby had been last night. 

His greatest fear currently was that he would pass out, or worse. He was the only protection Harry had. If anything happened to him, Harry would be completely defenseless.

"Well, you've done a fine job, Black." Sirius muttered to himself as he gently rocked the crying baby. "You've got your godson out in a back alleyway in the rain with no shelter, no food, and quite frankly, no hope." Sirius turned to his squalling godson. "Well, what do you think, Harry. Time to admit to failure?"

The baby continued to cry.

Sirius soothingly caressed his godson's cheek with his finger. "I wish I knew what to do, Harry." Sirius said softly. "But I honestly don't. I think I'm about as far down as a person can go without getting out a shovel. And the worst part of this is that I brought you here with me."

Harry paused long enough to take several gulps of air, then let out a long, howling cry.

Sirius began coughing again.

The world slipped a little out of focus. 

When it came back clearly Sirius found himself leaning back against the door behind him. Harry let out a screaming howl as the rain fell on him. 

"Oh lords!" Sirius cried as he staggered to his feet, holding tightly onto the rail next to the stairs for balance. "Harry, I'm sorry." 

Sirius quickly looked about for somewhere drier as he hunched his body back over the baby. Fortunately he had been able to remember a spell that waterproofed his jacket, so at least they could stay somewhat dry. Sirius had cast the same spell on his boots as well as the blanket Harry was wrapped in. To that item he had also added a comfort spell, so that the blanket maintained a comfortably warm temperature despite the cold that surrounded them. 

Stumbling out into the street he made it a few blocks before turning down another alleyway when he started to get too many looks as he walked along with the crying infant. 

To his great relief, down the alleyway was a covered doorway. A safe haven from the cold rain.

Sirius barely made it to the steps as he collapsed onto them. He knew the haven was only temporary. What he needed to find was an enclosed space where they could sleep.

Sleep.

The concept pulled at his senses. All he could think of besides his godson was how badly he wanted to simply lie down and go to sleep. How wonderful just a few hours of peaceful slumber would be. In the morning he could think about what to do. Maybe he would feel better then. Maybe he would be able to transform again and get them some food to eat. But none of that was going to happen, he convinced himself, if he didn't get some sleep.

Sirius suddenly snapped his head up. The same church steeple had started to chime again. Sirius listened to it, counting off each ring of the bell. Nine o'clock. Merlin's Beard! He had been asleep for over a half-hour. How could he have allowed himself to fall asleep? What was going to happen to Harry if he didn't stay awake?

"That's it, Black." He admonished himself as he pulled himself back to his feet. "No more sitting about if you're just going to doze off. Walking is the best way to stay awake."

Sirius directed his tired feet back out to the main street and started down it. He had to keep moving. He had to find a decent place for them to sleep. 

Several blocks more and Sirius allowed himself another break. This time on the steps of a small alcove of a shop off the main street. Harry's cries had quieted a bit. But Sirius believed it was only due to the baby crying himself hoarse.

Sirius looked down once more at the sobbing child in his arms. He could feel the baby shivering in the blankets. The spells were starting to fail as the illness claimed more and more of his strength.

"Lets face it, Black." Sirius told himself. "You're no good at this. And it's Harry whose suffering for you're pride. It's time to admit defeat. You aren't going to be better in the morning. You aren't going to be able to transform. You aren't going to be able to feed you're godson. Harry's starving and you're sitting around hoping for miracles."

Sirius painfully began thinking over the various places he had seen over the past few days that he thought would take in a child. There had been hospitals, churches, social service agencies. All places with people trained to deal with these situations. He could wait until morning and leave Harry with one of them. At a church would be best, he thought. The Dursley's would never think to look for him there, if they bothered looking for him at all. There had been no sign of Deatheaters since they arrived in London, so Sirius felt fairly sure he had escape them for the moment. And even if they did catch up to him, he would no longer have Harry. The baby would have become just one more faceless person in the crowded city. The church vicar would likely be able to find a good home for Harry. With people who wanted a child. Who would love him and take care of him. Yes. That was the best thing to do.

Sirius glanced down again as Harry's squeaking voice cried out again. Tears that had been washed away by the rain were now running down his red cheeks again. 

One of Sirius' own tears fell on the baby's face and joined Harry's.

"I don't want to lose you, Harry." He said quietly, brushing the baby's tears away. "But what else can I do? I promised you're parents I would take care of you. And that's what it'll be. Taking care of you. Doing what's best for you."

Sirius sat on the steps watching the rain fall for some time, trying to fight back his tears. But trying to keep from crying yourself with a sobbing infant in your arms was no easy task. Especially when every tear that rolled down the tiny cheeks you blamed yourself for. 

Sirius struggled to think of something to distract his thoughts. Sitting on a stoop in an alleyway crying wasn't going to solve anything for them. 

So Sirius turned his thoughts instead to dinner. A thought that was easy enough to grasp hold of as the smell of food from the varied eating places on the main street came whiffing down the alleyway corridor. Sirius' keen sense of smell picked up on the smell right away and his stomach growled in protest at the tease of food nearby. But before himself, he had to get something for Harry to eat. Sirius struggle for a minute, trying to focus on one clear thought. From his memory of the city he remembered a place a few more blocks away where they threw out food at night. A fairly nice restaurant, as he recalled. It wasn't the best thing, but it was something. He was sure he could find some small decent thing for Harry amid the scraps of food. Some small thing to give him something to eat.

Sirius could feel sleep again beginning to pull at his thoughts. It was getting harder and harder to concentrate on anything. He was actually relieved as another coughing spell overtook him, since the violent jarring of his body and the pain in his lungs brought him sharply back to consciousness. But it was short lived at best. And all too soon he found himself drifting off again.

But something else abruptly jarred him back to full consciousness.

The sound of his name.

Sirius fought the urge to look up. To see who was calling him. Instead he concentrated on the sound, not making a move to acknowledge it. Trying to make sure he had heard right.

"Sirius?"

Sirius suddenly pulled himself to his feet. Trying to contain his growing fear, he tried to walk away from where he had heard the voice calling from. He tried to remain aloof, pretending he hadn't heard the person. To act like he was just continuing a stroll down the street.

"Sirius?" The voice called again.

It was closer this time.

Sirius quickened his pace a little, nearly falling over as he tried moving his feet faster. He tried to focus solely on getting away. 

If he could only transform! Padfoot could easily outrun any human trying to give chase. He and Harry could get away.

"Padfoot!"

Sirius abruptly stopped his staggered shuffling and slowly turned to the voice.

He nearly cried out for joy.

Standing not five feet away from him was Remus Lupin.

Sirius never thought he could be so happy to see anyone in his whole life.

"Moony?" Sirius asked tentatively, unsure if his illness had now given way to delusions.

But the figure in front of him gave him a small smile. "How are you, Sirius?"

Sirius started towards his friend, wanting to grab him in a hug and rattle on and on about how happy he was to see him. To tell him everything that had happened since he had taken Harry from the Dursley's. How sure he was now that everything would be all right.

But something caused him to stop abruptly.

Something wasn't right. Remus' smile and the tone of his voice weren't his own. They were more things someone was forcing out of him.

Sirius took a step back.

"Sirius?" Remus asked. "What's wrong?"

Sirius stood staring vaguely at the man before him. But around him he listened intently. The rain had let up some. Enough that Sirius could hear the whispers around him and the shuffling of feet against the wet pavement.

Sirius took another step back.

Remus watched the man standing in front of him. He could tell by Sirius' expression that he knew something was going on. Something he didn't like. Remus remembered the warnings from the ministry agents. Sirius wasn't thinking right. If he felt trapped, he might hurt Harry.

Remus had spent the last few weeks going through all the old areas of London that Sirius had known so well from their younger days. While on holiday from school, Sirius had several times taken he, James, and Peter to London and showed them around the city. Not the usual tourist traps, but places you would never even think existed, both muggle and magical. Underground passageways through the subways, back alleyways that hosted an assortment of strange and unusual shops, clubs and bars and a host of places Remus racked his brain to remember the locations of. If Sirius ever needed to disappear, Remus felt certain London was the place he would come to. The city he knew better than anyone else.

As he stood staring at his long-time friend, Remus tried to bury the feeling that was screaming inside of him for release. The one that had started just as a little nagging sensation in the back of his mind every time he sat and started to listen to the ministry members. For days he had listened to them telling him how deranged they thought Sirius was. He had attacked the muggles looking after his godson. Destroyed their house. Surely, they had told Remus, that wasn't something Sirius would ever have done were he in his right mind, no matter how angry he was.

Past that the ministry had practically harped on the point that they didn't want to see Sirius or Harry hurt. That if Sirius wasn't thinking clearly, then his ability to protect Harry was severely impaired. All they wanted, they told him over and over, was to get Sirius and the infant into their custody so that they could make sure they were both protected. Then they would start trying to sort things out. 

But over the past few days the feeling had grown until it was such a sense of growing unease Remus could hardly stand it. Maybe it was part his lupine nature. Some sixth sense trying to warn him of something.

The problem was, he didn't know what. And so he did his best to just focus on the problem at hand. Get Sirius and Harry to safety. 

"Sirius," Remus said cautiously, trying not to frighten the man before him, "give Harry to me. Please. No one wants to see you or Harry hurt. But you have to give him to me. All right?" 

Remus wasn't sure at all how Sirius would react to the request. From how the ministry described him, Remus expected to be yelled at. But instead Sirius stood in silence, holding tightly to the crying infant in his arms, looking like he was desperately trying to think something through. He wavered slightly on his feet, but managed to regain his balance. But instead of yelling, Sirius finally answered the request in a quiet, sad voice.

"I've made a great mess of things, Moony. I tried to take care of him."

From where he stood, Remus could hear how hard Sirius was fighting for each breath. The man was clearly very ill. So much so that to Remus he barely seemed able to hold onto consciousness. "What do you mean, Sirius?" 

"Harry. I tried to take care of him. But I just couldn't." Sirius paused as he seemed to fight for balance again. Then slowly he started forward with slow, shuffling steps. With trembling hands, he carefully handed his godson to Remus. "You take him. You'll be a better godfather to him than I was."

Remus reached up to take the baby, keeping his eyes on Sirius the whole time. Something was desperately wrong. This wasn't a man acting deranged at all. If anything, Sirius' actions seemed quite sane, given how very ill he looked. The sense of warning that had been plaguing him for days was chasing all other thoughts from his mind now but one. Something simply wasn't right.

But before Remus could put things together, Sirius suddenly stepped back from him quickly, putting several feet between them before Remus could do anything but shout his name. 

The flashes of light came seconds later, several hitting Sirius.

The body crumpled to the wet pavement before Remus, who was still standing staring at the form as ministry wizards rushed past him. Several of them immediately grabbed Sirius' unconscious body by the arms and disapparated. Others were rounding up the few people on the street and placing memory charms on them. 

From behind him Remus felt a hand rest on his shoulder. He turned to see Albus Dumbledore standing behind him.

"You did what needed to be done, Remus." He said softly. "For Harry and for Sirius."

Remus slowly shook his head. "He wasn't going to hurt Harry, Albus." Remus said confidently. "I'm sure of it. He wasn't deranged. He wasn't acting crazy at all." Remus turned to face the headmaster. "I didn't have to take Harry from Sirius. He handed him to me. He knew the ministry wizards were here. He knew what they were going to do. And still he gave Harry to me and then stepped away so they didn't risk hitting Harry. Does that sound deranged to you, Albus?"

"That isn't a decision for us to make, Remus. It's in the hands of the ministry now, I'm afraid."

Remus stopped a wizard as he hurried by them. "Wait a minute." Remus stated. "Sirius Black. What's the ministry going to do with him?"

The wizard seemed to ponder the question for a few seconds. "Most likely he'll be taken to the ministry for questioning about the affair concerning the muggle house he attacked. And the ministry wants to question him about the events at Godric's Hollow the night the Potter's were killed as well. The following morning, he's likely off to Azkaban."

"Azkaban? Without a trial?"

"Black's seriously disturbed. Azkaban will be the safest place for him and for the public until they sort out what's what."

Remus watched the wizard walk away before turning to Dumbledore. "They're going to try Sirius for what happened at Godric's Hollow?"

"They only want to question him about it, Remus. You heard the ministry wizard."

"Yes, I did," Remus replied curtly. "And I'll tell you what I heard. They've already convicted Sirius. All they need of a trial is a show for the public, and they'll bury that if they can. I don't like being lied to, Albus. But I have been played for a fool. When they asked me to help them find Sirius it was only to try and find out what had happened at the Dursley's. Now I'm being told they're going to 'question' him about James and Lily's murders? We know who was responsible for that, and it wasn't Sirius."

"Remus, I understand your concern. Sirius is your friend. But he has not been behaving like an innocent man."

"No, he hasn't." Remus agreed, hardening his tone. "He's been acting like a scared one."

Dumbledore sighed quietly as he watched the ministry wizards finishing their work. "There's nothing more we can do here. Let's return to Hogwarts. This poor child sounds a bit hungry."

And with that Remus and Dumbledore disapparated from the street.

Q&A:

Boy! Were you people good to P.A.R. this week! Lots of questions.

But, a few things first. 

One, I just wanted to say that, yes, I know this chapter had some problems. The problem is I was pressed for time like you wouldn't believe. I try to post regularly, and sometimes that's a bit of a strain for me to try and get the chapter up every week. So, bare with me this time. I apologize if the chapter seemed a bit stilted.

Two. A lot of you (boy, was there a lot of you) felt that Remus was betraying Sirius by working with the ministry. I tried to make it a bit clearer in this chapter, and please try to understand, Remus believes he is helping Sirius, not betraying him. He honestly thinks Sirius isn't thinking to clearly (he thinks he's nuts), plus he has the ministry working on him, not giving him much of a chance to sort things out too clearly himself. So give poor old Remus a break, O.K.?

Three, how....HOW is it everybody found that scene with the Deatheater so convincing? I worked that scene over I forget how many times, and I still thought it came off sounding a bit false. Oh, well. Your worst critic is yourself, I guess. Thanks for loving it. I was very pleased by that.

Back to the Q&A. 

Unicorn Whisperer: WHAT!? You think I got the 'babies are a great babe-magnet' thing from All In The Family? *P.A.R. stands about looking indignant for a minute.* Oh.....,all right. Point is, I can only give credit where credit is due if I can remember where the idea came from. So, here's your gold star (*) not only for the babe-magnet borrowing thing without proper paper work, but for letting me know it was your story where it came from. Forgive?

Deatheater is now a hitchhiker. Look again. Sirius tossed her out on the side of the road before they left.

No tracer on the car.

Nope. No Pettigrew at this point.

Lotesse: Oooooh...., goody! Not only am I back. I'm back with a VENGEANCE! Goody! (And I vengeanced the dickens out of your story, didn't I?)

I know what you mean about Lord Of The Rings. In my high school days, it was the geeks and the honor roll students that read it. The rest opened the book, saw long words they didn't know, and gave up.

Cute. (There. See? I can say cute.)

Actually, trust me, you haven't seen cute yet.

Did yours and Uni's copies miss a paragraph or somethin'? (Or did I delete this part in the upload or so?) Sirius left the Deatheater by the side of the road. She is now taking the shoe-leather express back to town.

Where's he going in a sports car? That's this chapter.

Sorry. No Arabella. And there's a reason for that. This is an AU. A completely independent story from my other ones. With that in mind, I didn't want to use any crossover of characters for the simple fact it can get real confusing real fast trying to keep the different relationships separate. Arabella's relationship with Sirius in this story would not be the same as she has with him in Family Life. This story is set in the past. It also confuses the dickens out of P.A.R..

Yes, yes. Bad P.A.R.. Bad, bad, bad P.A.R.. (I'd give you a gold star to make you feel better, but Whisp got it this week.)

Voltora: What!? But....but I was depending on you find yours! (Haven't seen mine in ages.).

Low level praise? Heavens! What do you give the stories you really like?

I'm pleased beyond words how much everyone liked the Deatheater scene. I enjoyed writing that one a lot.

Dumbledore's True Love: Sorry I'm not making you happy this week. Go see if Uni will share again. She won again this week.

Why doesn't Sirius conjure up food? Why didn't he in the cave in GoF? Remus and Sirius together likely could have found a way to get him hooked up with a wand. Instead he depended on Harry to get him his food. But even past all that, I work by certain conventions in my stories. And one is, ya' gotta have somethin' to start with. No bread out of stones miracles here, folks. Yes, if you have some grain you can make cereal, or some wheat you can make bread. But I never saw anywhere in the books where a witch or wizard could create something of sustenance out of nothing. Even the food at the feast came from somewhere, not thin air. Also, Sirius has the (right) idea that the ministry can track magical activity. Therefore he tries to keep it to a minimum. Past that, can we all just say 'continuity error' together and let P.A.R. go to bed? It's getting late.

SiriusBPadfoot: I update once a week. I try to make it on Sunday nights, between 6:00PM and 10:00PM EST. But things happen and some times I may miss. On those occasions, I try to have it up the next day.

Thanks for reading.

Me: I soooooo did not need to hear the fish story.

Sere: I try to post every Sunday, between 6:00PM and 10:00PM EST. For the rest of this see above answer.

Nearly all of my stories involve Sirius and Harry , with the current exception of Diamond, which was strictly a Snape story.

Currently I have several stories in the works, though not all of them are Sirius/Harry stories. (And I do not mean that as slash. P.A.R. does not write slash. Yet.). However, Family Life is being sequeled as well as is the sequel being sequeled. I have another Sirius and Baby Harry story coming, and of course, I have to finish The Bonds That Tie. So you will likely be hearing from me for a while.

Lady FoxFire: Making money from being sue? Can you do that? Anyway, as you saw, there's a lot of people being sue for having a thing for Sirius. So your court date is like.....AGES away.

Actually, Katlin is most definitely a woman (ask any man), but her being a lady id still up for discussion.

Personally, I think I'm going to catch heck from my readers when you see her again and find out just who she is in later life. At least as I am currently planning on developing her character.

Good question about Padfoot.

Lyn: See the opening notes of Q&A about the Deatheater scene. I am absolutely amazed it was so well received. I was so sure I would catch heck for having good old noble Sirius hitting a woman.

Elizabeth Bathory: Thank you.

Kiara O. Lawrence: *P.A.R. shakes her head.* I just don't understand. How did that scene get so well received? Oh, well. I am glad it was liked so much by so many.

No, no. P.A.R. is BAD for forgetting one of her most faithful reviewers. Bad, bad, bad P.A.R..

Mayleesa: Goody. Questions.

O.K.. First off, this is an AU. Means I get to play around with the facts as they stand in the books.

Past that, even if you follow canon here, would it not stand to reason that the Deatheaters, (who were still around), would want to try and get a little revenge on poor little Harry for nearly dispatching Voldemort? Also, no, Voldemort was not killed by Harry (well, by his own spell, actually). He was rendered nearly powerless and barely alive, but still alive. And he was bound to have a few faithful Deatheaters around.

Kcarke: Yeah, non-reviewing guilt is a problem, isn't it? P.A.R. knows about that feeling.

O.K., rest of the questions in order.

You will see Katlin again. She is in an individual story of her own with Harry tentatively called Runaway, which I am currently working on, and she turns up again in the sequel to Family Life.

Sorry, but the Deatheaters will likely not be in the story very much from here on out. I'm always making revisions in the story, so nothing is for certain. But at this point I don't have plans to bring them back into things.

London.

Why was answered in this chapter.

Yeah. Ditch it as fast as possible. After all, now he's up for Grand-Theft Auto.

Depends on your view of evolution, really.

I simply don't believe in getting a bunch of very nice people interested in one of my stories and then dropping it and them. It's sort of rude in my book.

Sandrine Black: Thank you for liking that scene. It was very well received. For which I am grateful.

Alexa Black: I'll say this much. Your train is on the right track, but once again, girl, you left the station without all the passengers on board.

Zimmy Russell: No, no. You said in one of your reviews that the kitten in Diamond, or a scene in that story, resembled one in the Grinch movie.

Katlin is an interesting little lady. Trust me. Although she doesn't come back in this story as far as things go right now (I do revise stories from time to time due to continuity errors or just new ideas), she does appear in other stories currently in production. Check some of the other review answers for more on that.

Technically, Remus didn't 'turn' Sirius in. And he really believed right up to the end he was doing the right thing.

Oh, good, someone did realize Katlin wasn't still in the car.

Yup, Sirius' rap sheet is growing.

What's he gonna do next? Currently, go to jail.

Share the jolt!? I gotta find it first!

Lin-z: Well, had a car, actually. 

Got them to London!

O.K., I had other questions about this. First, this is an AU. Forget what ya' know about the books. (Yes, yes, if I'm straying from canon I should have spelled it out.). Next, I'm not really going that far from canon, actually. Voldemort isn't dead (or gone). He's just a little low on fuel right now. But there are still Deatheaters around, and some of them are bound to be really loyal to him.

What's Katlin playing at? Oh, heavens! There's a question. For there is no more complicated woman in the Deatheater group than Katlin. She's definitely a handful as her character is being sketched out. Whereas she doesn't appear in this story again for the moment (my stories can always change as I do revisions before posting), she is in several up-coming stories. See answers to this in other Q&A answers. A lot of people were interested in Katlin.

There was little fun in re-grouting the shower. Especially when the first attempt failed and I had to redo that. But I'm kinda at the point of no return. I got grout out, now I gotta put grout back in.

Ya' know, eight years of Spanish and I still can just about only say Hola!.

Wyltk: People! Show some mercy for heavens sake. Poor Remus!

He's being manipulated (and very well, might I add) by the ministry. Can we hear a few bad words about the ministry please and leave poor Remus alone? Honestly!

What new "ideal"?

I would think wands could stand a few seconds in a flame, like any stick. Go try and get a tree branch the size of a wand to light after only a few seconds in the fire. Besides, he only 'tapped' the base of the fire with his wand. He didn't leave it sitting there.

Sorry, I wasn't very clear on that. The Dark Mark is on her arm, not her wrist. She just had to turn her arm wrist-side up to show the mark to Sirius.

Voldemort has no tracking system on the car because one, he trusts Katlin to be efficient in her mission, and two, Katlin has some agenda items of her own to take care of while in that car that she doesn't want Voldemort knowing about. Sorry those weren't spelled out in the story, but they weren't actually important to the plot, or so I thought. (Oh, and Katlin's other agenda matters aren't important to this story, but may turn up in others. She's a busy girl. Has places to go. People to kil...er......see.).

Thank you for sticking with me. I hope to still be posting when Book Five comes out.

Nagini: It's your own fault, dear. Don't blame me for no supper.

Ohhhhhh, Nagini almost got a gold star (but Uni already got it), for thinking P.A.R. should be on everyone's favorites list. Thank you!

Oh, that I can tell you. In fact, I mentioned it to someone else a few chapters back. I write mostly in the fantasy genre, some science-fiction, and a little mystery. My last story was on vampires. Age range is probably 13 to 25. But that hard to say for sure. I mean, hey, Harry Potter was written for children!

Nope. Across the street from me is a swamp. And P.A.R. loves her swamp. One of it's current occupants, one of P.A.R.'s cats. (Domestic life was not for her.).

It's been 'years' due to a very busy schedule and some problems between me and my publisher (minor, nothing big) and the company having some problems. I also technically no longer work for them. I'm a free agent at present. But they still have intellectual property rights on me through my contract. So I can't work for anyone else until the contract expires.

I am...or was...currently working on a novel, but got side-tracked by this. When I get bored I go back and work on the book from time to time.

Wait a minute! Am I currently working on something? Heavens, I'm currently working on about five separate fanfictions. So, yes, I am currently working on something, I guess.

It takes a lot to confuzzle me, child. Feel free to try. But few people have managed that yet.

As always, sorry if I missed anyone. Let me know if I did.

Thanks for reading and reviewing. You guys are the best!

See you next week. 


	6. Chapter Four: In The Hands Of The Minis...

A/N: Well, P.A.R.'s Support Services finally got activated. And you know what? P.A.R. is slightly surprised and happy to find out that her stories are being read a great deal more people than she thought. So to all of you who review and even to those of you who don't but are taking the time to read my stories, thank you. I hope you are enjoying them.

Also, once again putting up an advertisement for Starlight's It's A One Time Thing That Just Happens A Lot. People, do yourself a favor and read this story. It's excellent!

Also, due to further constraints being put on P.A.R.'s time, there may be a few misses in the near future on posting times. I'm sorry if it does happen. I will post as soon as possible in such an event. 

That's all.

On with the story.

Enjoy.

Chapter Four: In The Hands Of The Ministry

The ministry, at Dumbledore's urging, allowed Remus to take Harry home with him, feeling he was the best person for the moment to tend to the small child. On the way, Remus made several stops in the small town that he lived just outside of to pick a few supplies for Harry, and then continued home.

Once there, Remus' first order of business was to feed the crying child. He was amazed at how fast the baby ate everything he gave him. It took two full bottles of milk before Harry stopped crying. After that he still managed to eat a full jar of baby food and a cookie Remus gave him for a treat. 

Once he was fed and more agreeable, Remus stripped him out of his dirty cloths and placed him in a warm tub of water and proceeded to scrub the street dirt off of him. Remus had expected the baby to fuss and squirm about. But Harry move very little during the procedure and was soon clean and dried and dressed in some clothes Remus had bought for him.

Remus watched with satisfaction as the baby fell asleep in his arms almost as soon as all the activity stopped. Sitting with him for a little while, Remus finally placed him in the crib in his room and headed downstairs.

"He's doing perfectly fine, Albus." Remus reported to the headmaster as he spoke to him by way of the fire in his kitchen. "We've had our supper, a bath, and currently he's upstairs sleeping. I think the poor boy is absolutely exhausted. And I've never seen a child eat so much or so fast."

"I suppose Sirius wasn't able to feed him too well." Dumbledore replied. "It had to be difficult trying to care for a small child when you're trying to hide yourself."

"I think Sirius did the best he could, Albus." Remus interjected. "He told me when he gave Harry to me that he had tried to take care of him as best he could. But he realized he couldn't do it any longer."

"Well, thankfully, in the end, Sirius made the right choice. I'm sure that'll count for something if there's a trial."

Remus gave a slight snort. "Trial. He's not getting a trial, Albus. In two days, he'll be in Azkaban and there he'll stay. Convicted of the attack on the Dursley's home and of killing James and Lily. Neither crime he's guilty of."

"You sound so sure of that suddenly." Dumbledore asked with a small smile.

"Because I know Sirius."

"Yet you allowed him to be kept at your home after James and Lily were killed in order to keep an eye on him because you weren't sure of his involvement in the incident. To be sure he wouldn't go after Harry as well."

"That's true."

"Then what changed?"

"You didn't see him while he was here, Albus. All he did was sit in front of a spy-glass and watch Harry. The day Dursley got mad at Harry and threw him in his playpen, I thought Sirius was going to jump right through the glass and choke the man. I've rarely seen him so angry. Past that, he had that baby for months. And yet he never harmed him. And when he thought Harry was in danger, he gave him up to prevent it. Now, I can't say for sure about the Dursley's, nor can I say I wouldn't have done the same thing, given the chance, having seen what that idiot muggle did to Harry. But of one thing I am absolutely convinced, Albus. And that is that Sirius had nothing whatsoever to do with James and Lily's deaths."

"I see." The Headmaster replied. "Well, I'm glad to see you still have faith in your friend, for I believe Sirius could use a friend right now. I suppose you're planning on visiting him?"

Remus nodded. "I want to hear his side of things, Albus. He deserves to have at least one person listen to him."

Dumbledore smiled slightly. "Do keep me informed." He replied, and disappeared from the fire.

The next morning Remus left Harry with his neighbor, a kind little witch with several children of her own who had lived next door to him for some time. After explaining things to her so that she would be extra on her guard, and saying goodbye to Harry, Remus apparated to the ministry and requested to see Sirius. 

A long trek through back halls later, Remus found himself left standing in front of a cell furthest down from the door. Inside the cell Sirius lay on the floor, looking much like he had just been thrown there and left. The only sign of life in the body was the constant heavy breathing as the body fought for each breath it took.

Remus stood outside the bars for some time, uncertain if Sirius was asleep or awake. If he was asleep, he hated to wake him. The night before he looked like he hadn't slept in some time. But unsure if he would be allowed to see him again, Remus finally stepped up to the bars and crouched in front of them.

"Sirius?" He whispered. "You awake?"

The body stirred slightly. But with the movement it started to shake as it began to cough. Slowly Sirius pulled himself up to a sitting position. But he immediately leaned over again as the coughing got worse, finally coughing up a mouthful of phlegm and blood which he spit into a bowl next to him. A bowl, which from the contents, had been used several times already for that very purpose. Slowly Sirius pulled himself back up, wiping his mouth on his sleeve as he turned to Remus.

Dirty and disheveled, Sirius still managed a small smile as he looked at his friend through the bars. "Hello, Remus."

Remus wrapped a hand about one of the bars. "How are you, Sirius?"

"How's Harry?"

Remus shook his head. "Sirius, you don't need to worry about Harry right now." He stated. "You need to worry about yourself for a change. I doubt you've done that in weeks."

"How's Harry?" Came the same question.

Remus sighed quietly. "And I can see you've apparently forgotten how to do that as well."

Sirius simply stared back at him from behind two dull, gray eyes.

Remus shook his head again. As sick as he was, Sirius could still be the most stubborn man alive.

"Harry's fine. Satisfied?"

"Where is he?" Sirius asked in a tone that sounded like he was afraid of the answer.

"He's staying with me currently."

Sirius relaxed and turned away from the bars with a slight smile. "Good."

"Now," Remus repeated, "How are you?"

But Sirius didn't act like he heard him, staring at the wall in the back of his cell.

"Sirius?"

"Did you see those idiots in the alleyway, Remus?"

"What idiots?"

"The ministry." Sirius turned back to him, suddenly looking as lucid as Lupin himself. "Did they tell you they were going to do that? Have all those Aurors there with them?"

Lupin slowly shook his head, suddenly feeling very bad about his role in the events of the previous night. How could he have been so blind? So stupid. He had believed them. Believed every word they had told him. Believed Sirius was deranged. Believed he wasn't taking care of Harry. Or that he was so out of his mind that he couldn't.

Sirius seemed to have read his look.

"Oh, don't worry about it, Remus. I understand, really. You worry about Harry as much as I do. And look at the job I was doing taking care of him. Wasn't very good, was it?"

Remus looked absolutely miserable. "They told me they only wanted you for questioning about what happened at the Dursley's, Sirius. That was all. They never said anything about wanting to ...talk to you...about what happened to James and Lily."

But Sirius wasn't looking at him anymore. He had returned to staring at the wall.

"What did they think I was going to do?" He asked to no one imparticular. "Fight back? Standing there with my godson in my arms? Did they honestly think it was going to take that much force to bring in the great fugitive? Dangerous son-of-a.....standing there holding a baby. Didn't the idiots realize they might have hit Harry if I'd still been holding him?"

"Well, you weren't." Remus offered with a kind, sad smile. "You keep saying what a horrible job you were doing taking care of Harry, and yet you gave him to me to keep him from being in any danger. I hardly think that qualifies you as the worst godparent of the year, Sirius."

But Sirius still didn't seem to be listening to him as he stared absently ahead of him.

"Sirius?"

"Do you remember when we were back at school, Remus?"

"What?" Remus thought the question was rather strange.

"You, me, James, and Peter? Lords, what a pack of fools we acted like." Sirius turned back to Remus with a wider smile this time. "We never worried about anything then. Oh, maybe tests, or if we'd get caught sneaking food from the kitchens, or if Filch would ever be able to prove who set the Dungbombs off in the Great Hall right before Christmas break. But....but we never had any really big worries." Sirius sighed as he turned to the floor in front of him. "Things were so much easier then, Remus."

"Sirius, are you all right?" Remus prompted, trying to get his friend's attention. From the way Sirius was acting, he doubted he was really paying that much attention to him.

"Did you ever think James would be first?"

"First?"

"The first to die? I never did. Not really. I mean, James was always...the most daring of us. The smartest. Not the best looking," Sirius shook his head with a sad smile, "but the smartest. I never thought anything could happen to him. Not at school, not after we graduated, not after he married Lily......and never after Harry was born. He just seemed to have so much to live for. How could it all be taken away from him like that? But suddenly.....it's all gone. Just like that." Sirius sighed again as he laid his head on his knees. "It's not fair, Remus. It's just not fair."

Remus stared through the bars at Sirius for a moment, thinking about the night before when he had sworn to Dumbledore how sane his friend had seemed. Now suddenly he wasn't so sure.

"Sirius," He said finally, "look at me."

Sirius turned slowly to him.

"Sirius, do you know where you are?" Remus asked with concern.

Sirius' expression broke into a genuine smile that was nearly a laugh. "I'm not crazy, Remus."

"Then answer the question."

Sirius looked about his small cell. "This is one of Snape's broom-closets in the dungeons, right?"

"Close."

Sirius' expression suddenly became very solemn. "I know where I am, Moony. And I know what they're likely planning to do with me. I'm not that far gone."

"They think you are."

Sirius shrugged as he turned back to the wall before him.

"Sirius, James would not have wanted you to give up. For Harry's sake if nothing else."

"I didn't, Remus." Sirius answered without looking at him. "I took care of Harry. I tried to see that he was safe, and now I know he is. He's safe with you." Sirius stopped suddenly as he started to cough again.

"Sirius, have they brought a doctor to see you? They were suppose to bring a doctor for you."

Sirius took a slow, deep breath. One that even Remus could hear rattling down through his chest.

"Things'll be fine, Remus." He said quietly. "Harry has all he needs now. He has you. James is gone. Lily's gone. I'm gone. But he still has you at least."

"Well, and Peter." Remus added off-handedly.

The comment seemed to strike something in Sirius that Remus hadn't expected. The man in the cell slowly turned back to his friend, his expression shifting to one of anger and fear as he crawled over to the bars. Not stopping until he was right up against them.

"No." He hissed between the bars. "Not Peter. You...you keep Peter away from Harry, Remus. Swear to me you'll do that! You won't let Peter anywhere near Harry. Not ever. Swear to that, Moony! Swear to it!"

Remus pulled back from the bars. Sirius had gone from seeming like a fairly rational person to the embodiment of a raving lunatic.

"Sirius, what's wrong with you?" Remus cried.

"Swear it!" Sirius stated again in the same fierce tone, two frantic eyes fixed on the man outside the bars. "Swear you won't let Peter near Harry."

"All right, all right." Remus promised, hoping to calm Sirius down some. "I swear. I won't let Peter near Harry."

Sirius seemed to accept Remus' promise as he pulled back from the bars, calming down as he leaned back against the stone wall, fighting again for breath.

"Sirius," Remus ventured, moving back a little closer to the bars, "Let me have them to get you a doctor. That cough is getting worse."

But Sirius shook his head. "It doesn't matter, Remus."

"It does matter, Sirius. You matter. To me and to Harry."

"Harry will be fine. He has what he needs. Someone to look after him. To keep him safe."

Remus tried a different angle. "He's not 'fine'. Sirius. He misses you."

Sirius turned to him.

"He was extremely fussy this morning. I could hardly get him to even eat."

Sirius turned away from Remus again, closing his eyes. "He's always fussy in the morning." He replied quietly. "And he doesn't like having breakfast too early. Feed him about ten o'clock instead. He'll be better about it then."

"And he doesn't seem to want any of the toys I got for him. He ignored them all this morning and just cried when I tried to give them to him."

"You took his blanket away from him?" Sirius asked in the same quiet voice.  
"His blanket? That dirty thing he was wrap......" Remus stopped suddenly, realizing the comment wasn't going to reflect very well on Sirius. "Well, I gave him something else to wear last night, yes."

"Give him back that blanket. He'll be fine. He just wants it back. And stop taking it away from him." Sirius chide his friend lightly.

Remus smiled slightly. "All right, Sirius. You seem to know him best."

One of the ministry Aurors was walking down the hallway towards them.

"Mr. Lupin? I'm afraid you have to leave now, sir. They'll be wanting the prisoner for questioning."

Sirius turned to Remus suddenly, grabbing his hand as he whispered through the bars. "Remus, bring Harry before they take me away. Please."

"What?"

"Bring my godson. Let me see him once more. Please. I know what's going to happen here. I told you. I'm not that far gone. All I asked of you now is let me see Harry one more time before they take me away. Please. Bring him....bring him tonight. Please, Remus."

Remus paused as he stared back at his friend through the bars. Slowly he started to get to his feet.

"I'll see what I can do, Sirius, all right?"

The answer seemed to satisfy Sirius as he let go of Remus' hand with a small smile and sank back down to the floor.

Remus pulled himself up and, without a backward glance, followed the Auror out of the jail area.

Q&A 

Hayleyhedwig 11: O.K., O.K., settle down. Look, P.A.R. made you FIRST this time, O.K.?

All right. I'll stop being condescending.

Actually, what happened was you're review came up after I sort of do a 'close out' on the reviews I'm going to answer that week. Sorry. I try to check right up to the point I post, and to be honest I do seem to remember seeing your review the last time I did that check. I have no idea what happened after that. But I do apologize for missing you.

A lot of people are anxiously awaiting the sequel to Family Life, and I hope they aren't disappointed by what they get. The story is extremely complicated and is on the whole the second part of the three part story, Family Life, which includes, Family Life, Family Relations, and Family Ties. However, due to the length and work involved in this project, I am not expecting the second part to be out before late Spring. In the meantime, I am planning on possibly posting some short stories.

So, you don't think Sirius would give Harry up, huh? I think by the end of this story that resolve will be strongly tested on Sirius' part.

I can tell you the way things are going right now, P.A.R.'s being pressed pretty hard to make that Sunday posting deadline every week. And times may come when I do miss. But I will usually get it up the next day. Yes, my stories are already written, but there's a lot of revision that goes on in between when I write them and when I post them. I mean, heck, chapter three USED to be one chapter. Now its three. (Chapter Three, Chapter Three 'A', and Chapter Three 'B'.). So bare with me if I miss once in a while from here on out. And thanks for the nice reviews. I like the long ones especially.

Wolf Of Solitude: *P.A.R. turns her back to Wolf.* Not talking to you.

(P.A.R. goes on reading and sees the nice things Wolf had to say.).

Rats! How can I not talk to someone who praises my story so nicely?

Any way I'll forgive you? Money always works for me.

I am so loving keeping you in heaven! And oh, look, Wolf! It only gets worse!!!!!!!!

Heavens above, you must be happy!

SiriusBPadfoot: I'm sorry about the long posting time, but P.A.R. almost has a life, and she's working hard to support it.

Yup! Pointless as asking Mr. Lay where all the Enron pension funds went. I'd love to answer things like this. Pat you on the back and tell you everything's gonna be all right. Not to worry. Happy ending and all that. But I can't. Wouldn't be fair to everyone else.

But look, if you need something to fill the time, go do what Marie Potter does. Girl spends all week second guessing my plotlines. Or if that doesn't so it for you, go read Family Life. That should take you into next year. (It's a little long.).

Lin-z: Lupin help the ministry? Somehow I don't thinks he's terribly inclined at the moment.

Cuarto anos de Espanol? (Can't make it up-side-down.). Muy Bueno, Chica!

Free hours? Free Hours? What would those look like?

Honestly, I read what I can, but I just don't have a lot of free time right now. But I'll see what I can do.

Thank you for liking my Q&A. As I said in one set of notes, it's an idea I've seen catching on more and more. Though I don't take credit for starting it by any means.

Starlight: The Bonds That Tie is a completed story, so it will be continued, and will run a little longer than Fever and a lot shorter than Family Life. (But then, most things tend to be shorter than Family Life.).

VMR: Ya' (Perfectly good word) know, I wonder about you sometimes. Sometimes you are a person of extremely few words. And other times I can hardly get you to shut-up. Like this time. (Sorry. P.A.R.'s just having a little fun.).

Anyway, the question of who Harry would go to is addressed in this story, although maybe not for the reasons you think.

Kiara O. Lawrence: I'm glad you come looking every week. Consistent readership is a good thing!

You and Wolf Of Solitude really need to get together. You both seem to have this thing for anguishy stories. Although, I guess that could be said of anyone taking the time to read this. But hey, I did warn you!

Not as good as Wolf? Heavens, come on! You put in physical action and everything. It's like I'm sitting in the room, lady!

Lotesse: Happy Day! Long review!

Listen......., could you like, maybe write a letter to my editor telling him how great I am?

The good news is, P.A.R. took out some serious stock in Kleenex before she posted this.

The bad news is, there was a reason for that!

Oh boy. You and Wolf and Kiara need to get together or something. Anguish lovers all around.

I don't know about how old Remus is feeling currently. I think the screwing he got by the ministry might have him a bit distracted from feeling bad about what he did (?) to Sirius right now. And I stand by what I said earlier. You indeed haven't seen the werewolf get protective yet. But keep in mind there's three people involved here. Remus, Sirius, AND Harry.

As things stand, it's a bit of reverse from canon. Remember that the reason Sirius was staying with Remus in the first place was because no one was entirely certain what part in James and Lily's deaths Sirius played, if any. And he wasn't exactly convincing Remus that he had all his ants at the picnic while he was there. (Well, the fact of the matter was that he did leave a few back at the anthill.). But good old Remus is always one to try and see the best in people, and he was doing his darnedest to sort out in his own mind what was going on with Sirius. And still is.

Remus 'believed ill of his friend' because the ministry could sell ice to Eskimos. They said all the right things in just the right way, and said them so often and so loud that poor Remus never had a chance to sit down and really think things out.

Wormtail's absence rather strange? Not really.

Hmmm, Peter. O.K.! I thought about him. Am I done now? 

Seriously, one step at a time about this next part. 

Does Sirius know 100% that Peter is responsible for the Potter's deaths? No.

Does he suspect? Oh yeah!

Does Peter know Sirius knows? Yes.

Is Peter worried about it? Probably.

Is Peter laying low? Even ants couldn't crawl under him right now.

Is Sirius in much of a condition to do anything about it? Not right now.

Is Peter currently busy trying to keep Voldemort alive and happy? Probably.

Will any of this be addressed in the story? Not in great detail. Sorry.

Technically, Katlin wasn't trying to do Sirius in. She was trying to......well....., you know. Sirius didn't have time to leave her tied up on anyone's doorstep. He was busy adding Grand Theft Auto to his rap-sheet.

Katlin would most definitely not be coming back a happy little camper if she showed up in the story again. But currently she doesn't. But she will show up in others. She's such a fun little character.

I read your last line in that paragraph. I'm still laughing today. Sometimes not being able to say anything nearly kills me!

Whyever would he? Heavens, that would open up a nasty can of worms! I mean, Remus wants to help the ministry, but he doesn't want to tell them his life story, or anyone else's, for that matter. And he doesn't believe that telling the ministry about Padfoot would make a difference one way or the other. (Don't you just love guessing what's on the mind of a fictitious character?)

Yea! P.A.R. got a gold star! Wow, and after that critique I was wondering if you'd even come back! Or are you just masochistic?

Honestly, I'm glad you appreciated it. I did say I don't review nice, I review honest. And that is what you will get out of me. But also, keep in mind, it is just my opinion, not the world's. 'One man's meat........', after all.

I don't think you're in 'dreadful need' of feedback. You have a few minor problems that are easily remedied. But overall, your style is very good. 

By the way, just a brief word. If you ever do end up in a creative writing course, yes, you're there to learn to write a good story. But somewhere in the course, ask the teacher, not how do you write, but how do you get PUBLISHED? You might be surprised by the answer. It's not as simple as it seems, and you'd do well to listen to someone whose been there. Hopefully, your teacher has.

Short end of the stick? Well, maybe not this time. (Honest, not nice. Remember.) 

So, you got to be this good by reading? Well, knock me over with a feather! I have long told aspiring writers (and I'm doing so again) that the best way to be a writer is to read! Read incessantly. Read constantly. Read until you annoy your friends. 

Very few people in this world ever just woke up one day and knew immediately what they wanted to do with their lives. Most were inspired by something or someone. With writers, I believe for a lot of us it starts with reading a book, getting to the end, and saying 'Ha! I could have done better than that!'. (After all, what are fanfictions?) Past that, you learn by studying others, people. And if you're reading a book, you're studying a published writer. Makes sense, no? 

So, Lotesse, you go ahead and read yourself into happiness! You'll likely end up a darn good author one day.

Dumbledore's True Love: I'd love to say I'm going to start passing out gold stars to mullify people. But it just doesn't work that way. Sorry. (Bribery! Now that's a different story!)

O.K., on with the questions.

1. True. But I did say that I was pretty sure that between he and Remus I'd bet they could have come up with a wand. I mean, wizards can use other wands. That happens quite a bit in the stories. Anyway, I'm holding to the 'ya' gotta have something to start with' theory.

2. I did warn you it was an anguishy fanfiction. And what's anguish if you aren't torturing someone emotionally?

3. Now how can I answer that really without giving away the plot? Oh, but yeah, the ministry are idiots. I'll give ya' that one.

4. You love the man? I would never have gotten that. And how do you know he's playing to the ministry and not 'playing' the ministry? Hmmmmm?

5. I don't know. I didn't write the first book. Such is my life.

O.K., P.A.R. is just being silly for a minute.

Follow me here. Straight off, this is AU, not canon. Now I've already been called on this before, so lets not beat a dead horse, but yes, I should have spelled out a few things that I glossed over more or less.

One, Voldemort is not dead, he's very much alive and very low on fuel. But he is alive. I mean, he's gotta be because I need him later and you can't resurrect the dead according to Rowling (although I have some issues with the whole 'Harry's parents' thing, since they are in most stories more than live characters).

Two, Voldemort isn't mist. In the fourth book when the poor muggle looked in the chair, there was something there. And it wasn't the low-lying fog the weather man had warned about earlier. And Book One never said he was mist until the end. (was that actually in the book, or just the movie version? I don't remember reading that.) So, if he wasn't mist when Harry was eleven, I'm wagering he wasn't mist when he was one either.

Oh, nuts! Hand in the back again. Yes. You. What is it?

Ummmmm......, Ms. P.A.R., if Voldemort was mist at the end of Book One, wouldn't it stand to reason he could have been mist after Harry defeated him the first time as a baby since both times he had been severely weakened?

No! Sit down! ( Actually, the answer to that is 'anything is possible'. But I look at it this way; Voldemort was far weaker after Harry defeated him as a baby then he was at the end of Book One because Harry didn't really hurt Voldemort, he just destroyed the body Voldemort was using. And I would think you have to have some level of power to hold yourself together as a bunch of particles like that. When Harry defeated him the first time as a baby, I'd think he didn't have enough power left to hold much of anything together. So he had better have had some sort of body, albeit one he eventually abandoned.

As for the Deatheaters, I'd think with Voldemort out of power for the moment, most of them are doing what the various books said they did after Voldemort's downfall. Practicing up on how to act like you've been under a spell. But then you have a few like dear old Katlin.

All right. Now that we have that cleared up.......sort of......, DTL, I'm gonna give you that gold star! And not just to mullify you. Because you nearly backed P.A.R. into a corner she couldn't talk her way out of. An accomplishment to be proud of! Enjoy!

Nagini: How long till what expires? My contract? Quite a while, I'm afraid.

I told you my author name. P.A.R.. Not my fault you don't know what the initials stand for. But it my pen name.

Sirius will get free? Now how can I answer that without making a whole lot of work redundant?

Actually, The Bonds That Tie is sort of being sequeled. I like doing stories with Harry as a baby. (Cuts down on dialogue somethin' fierce.) So where as I won't be 'sequeling' this story, I will likely continue the concept in other stories. I'm currently thinking about one, but I have a lot of other things to work on first.

Alexa Black: Actually, you're stuck with whoever was Minister of Magic before Fudge. When they were rounding up Deatheaters, Barty Crouch was said to be in line for the job, but it was given to Fudge instead. This was all just after Harry's parent's were killed. Which is just about where we are. So Fudge isn't in that position yet.

Sandrine Black: Hey, a compliment is a compliment. Thank you.

Me: Well, I almost have a life. I'm still working on that.

Whisp: Actually, I've read several of your stories, I just haven't gotten around to rev.........ah..........Oh! Look! Isn't Mars bright tonight!

Remus isn't going to let Sirius get dragged away to Azkaban without a fight? How do you know? Yeah, yeah. O.K., it's Remus. I know.

Actually, Harry's already started to notice that his favorite voice isn't there anymore. How did Remus describe him? Quite. Which is how Harry is when he's scared. He doesn't fuss or move about much. He tries not to do much of anything. All of his screaming before that, aside from being hungry, was calling for Sirius, who didn't answer. Currently the poor child is just scared.

And, of course, I can't comment on the last part due to plot interference. Sorry.

Black Sparkles: Glad you liked the chapter. And P.A.R. apologizes for missing you last time.

Voltora: No, you don't need to recite entries from a Thesaurus. Just the usual stream of telling me how much you like this story usually has me walking around with everyone wondering what that grin on my face is about.

Elizabeth Bathory: I'm very glad you like this story, despite the fact it's got more anguish in it than almost I can handle. But yes, there will be other baby Harry stories. As I mentioned to someone else, although The Bonds That Tie will not be sequeled in and of itself, the concept will continue into other stories that are for the most part stand-alone, one shot stories. As I told the other reviewer, I like writing stories with Harry as a baby; cuts down on my need for dialogue a great deal.

MegOfAllTrades: Yeah. You look new. 

Honestly, ya'll (perfectly good word), I would LOVE to tell you who I am and write out my autobiography (P.A.R. has had something of an interesting life.....sometimes....occasionally.....O.K., it's been a pleasant bore.), but it just isn't possible now, nor can I say in all honesty that I will ever be able to tell you anything about myself. But please understand the amount of trouble I could get into if I were discovered doing this. We're talking legal stuff here. And I'd really rather not get into a big legal mess with my publisher right now.

Anyway, ohhhhhhh, thank you for such a lovely review. P.A.R. likes to think she doesn't write bad stories, she doesn't write slash stories (yet), and currently, Diamond is as fluffy as I'll get.

As always, thank you for the reviews. Answers are as of 02102002 at posting time. Sorry for anyone I missed. Let me know. You could blackmail me into some interesting situations for missing you, you know?

See you next week.


	7. Chapter Five And We Never Even Practiced...

A/N: First off, I want to say the chapter is going up dedicated to Zimmy Russell due to this being Zimmy's birthday. Happy birthday, Zimmy! I hope you enjoy the day. 

Next. *P.A.R. wipes a tear away.* You people are sooooooo good to me. You'll never know how much I appreciate it. Especially after a week like the one I've had. Nothing makes me feel quite like I do when I come home from work and click on my bio. page and read your reviews. My boss is quite sure I'm insane at this point because I sit in my cubby-hole and I'm either laughing my head off or cooing at my computer screen. But this week you people just plain out-did yourselves with the reviews. You were just too kind with your praise for this story. You have made P.A.R. very happy, and in return she promises tons of anguish to come.

P.A.R. is also happy to point out based on her enhanced statistics, over 700 people have logged into this story since the first of this month. Even if you don't review, people, at least you're showing up somewhere and making my day. But reviews are nice too.

Enjoy.

On with the story.  


Chapter Five: And We Never Even Practiced It

A fair amount of arguing was needed to before Remus was allowed to see Sirius again for the second time in one day. But stating that Sirius had begged to see his godson one more time before he was taken to Azkaban seemed to strike the right cord with the wizard behind the desk guarding the jail area where Sirius was kept, and Lupin was granted admission.

Walking down the long corridor, Lupin tried to busy himself with keeping Harry quiet. Anything that would distract his mind from his real objective for that night. Anything that helped him look a little less guilty.

From deep in the folds of the clean blanket Harry was wrapped in, Remus carefully traced the outline of the wand he had hidden there. Thankfully the guards in the front had been more interested in cooing at the tiny infant then searching him. And Remus, being an expert in concealment spells, was able to mask the wand's presence from any of the detection spells. Going through the standard search Remus was sure he must have looked as nervous as a person could. Unsure, but guessing, what would have happened if the wand had been found.

But now he was standing before Sirius cell once again, waiting for the Auror to open the door. He had been granted permission to go inside this time so that Sirius could hold his godson, which Remus ask he be allowed to do.

Inside the cell Sirius had stumbled up to his feet the minute Remus had arrived. He stood compliantly in the back of the cell as the door was opened, his whole attention centered on the small bundle in Remus' arms. As Remus stepped past the door, the Auror slid it shut once again, then stepped back and waited.

Remus turned back to the Auror. "Are you just going to stand there watching?"

"Orders, sir." The witch replied.

"Can't the man have a few minutes privately with his godson? He likely isn't going to see him again."

The witch thought for a moment, then stepped back a bit more until she was out of eyesight, but not earshot.

Remus mumbled a vague 'thank you'. It wasn't all he had hoped for, but he had made allowances for it. He was also grateful that for the moment at least, Sirius seemed a good deal more lucid than usual. 

Lucid wasn't perhaps quite the right word. Sirius seemed positively transfixed at the sight of his godson. As soon as Remus placed the baby in his arms, Sirius immediately began cooing to the small child and playing with him. 

Remus watched Harry carefully. From the moment his wide green eyes had taken in the sight of his godfather the baby had squealed with delight and reached up for the familiar face and grabbed two tiny fistfuls of black hair. Harry immediately yanked on the hair, pulling his godfather down to him. As soon as it was within reach, Harry's hand reached up and seized his nose.

All of this Sirius tolerated with an amused sort of expression, smiling down happily at his godson. As soon as Harry had a firm grip on the older man's nose he giggled with delight and yanked on his hair again. Sirius leaned down and kissed the baby on his forehead. Harry immediately seized hold of the neck of Sirius' shirt with his tiny hands and refused to let go. Obligingly, Sirius lifted the child up and rested him on his shoulder.

"You seem better." Remus commented as Sirius patted the Harry's back as the baby cooed contentedly.

"They gave me some potion." Sirius replied absently. "It helped."

Remus watched with a small smile as Harry pulled up tightly against Sirius' neck. "I told you he missed you, Sirius." Remus stated finally as he watched his friend tightly hugging his godson like he would never let him go.

"He'll get used to you, Moony." Sirius said in a sad, soft voice. "You'll see. Show him a picture of me in a few years and he won't even remember who I was."

"I doubt he'll ever forget you, Sirius." Remus stated loud enough for the guard outside to hear as he reached over for Harry. "And I hope he doesn't have to." He added in a lower voice as Sirius handed the baby back to him. 

In a move one would have thought they had practiced for days, Remus grabbed Sirius' hand under the blanket where it supported Harry and guided it to where the wand was hidden. With the briefest of eye contact, Remus made sure Sirius had understood what he was trying to show him, then with a precision move, shoved it out of the baby's blanket and up into the sleeve of Sirius' shirt.

Sirius caught his friend's eye again and quickly shook his head. "Remus, no. I don't want you to....."

"I have to take Harry back now, Sirius." Remus interjected quickly, staring intently at Sirius and warning him to shut-up. "We have to leave now. You knew that. Don't make it any harder than it is on either of you."

By this time, having been taken sooner than he wanted from his godfather, Harry had begun to cry. Sirius stared back at the crying infant with tears in his eyes. Reaching out he gently stroked his cheek.

"It'll be all right, Harry." He said softly. "You go with Remus now. He'll take good care of you. I know he will."

Remus reached down and pulled something from his robes as the Auror stepped back up to unlock the door.

"One more thing." He stated, pulling out Harry's old blanket. "Harry doesn't seem to want this ratty old thing anymore. I though you might want it to remember him by." 

Remus held the blanket up for the guard to see. Eyeing it for a moment, the guard pulled out her wand and cast a quick spell over the piece of cloth. A few seconds later she nodded and Remus handed the blanket to Sirius. "Use it well." He stated softly, then turned without another word and left the cell. 

Sirius stood at the bars of his cell with his hand wrapped tightly about the blanket, watching his godson until he could no longer see him past the straight line of the wall. But Harry's cries continued to echo back down the hallway until the guard slammed the door shut.

For several minutes Sirius remained standing at the bars of his cell, his head resting against them. Silent tears ran in streams down his cheeks and fell to the cold stone floor. For several minutes he stood there, allowing himself the luxury of self-pity as he looked into a very bleak future. But finally he pulled away from the bars, and wiping back his tears, went and sat back down on the floor of his cell. He looked forlornly at the blanket he still held tightly to. He carefully rubbed his fingers over the cloth. 

But suddenly he stopped. 

Somehow the cloth of the blanket didn't feel right. Having held his godson wrapped in that piece of cloth for months on end, Sirius was sure he could have picked it out of a hundred others blindfolded. But right now his eyes were wide open and he would have bet his last knut this wasn't Harry's blanket.

Standing up Sirius shook the blanket out to its full size and looked it over again. Sirius had been suspicious right off when Remus had told him he was giving him the blanket because Harry didn't seem to want it anymore. Harry loved his blanket and would break into a crying fit if it was ever taken away from him, as Sirius had told Remus that morning. For appearances sake, it could well have been the same blanket. But if it wasn't Harry's old blanket, then what was it?

Suddenly Sirius remembered the wand Remus had slipped him up his sleeve. The piece of polished wood had fit so snuggly inside his sleeve, he had all but forgotten it was there. Looking about, Sirius carefully removed the wand from his sleeve. He lightly ran his fingers over it, wondering where Remus had gotten one. Surely it wasn't his own. The ministry had taken it away from him before he was put in the cell. And certainly it wasn't Remus'. Sirius knew the feeling of Remus' wand as well as his own. This wand wasn't either. But it vibrated in his hand. It seemed to know him somehow, but Sirius wasn't sure from where. Sirius shook his head. He was too tired to sort the problem out right then. Looking it over, Sirius noticed a piece of parchment wrapped tightly about the end of the wand. Looking about one more time, Sirius moved to the back of the cell before unwrapping the piece of parchment.

'Padfoot,' the note began, 'I wouldn't have given you this if I didn't believe you were innocent of the things they're saying you did. I'm sorry to say I did have my doubts at first. That's why you were to stay with me after James and Lily's murders. We weren't sure if you had had anything to do with it and I was to watch you and make sure Harry was safe. But I can't believe that anyone could love Harry so much and have had anything to do with the death of his parents. And now they say you attack the Dursley's and destroyed their home as well. I can't believe that either. I want to hear your side of things, Padfoot. And I'm willing to listen to what you have to say. You know you have a safe place to come to. All you have to do is get here. If you use the old disclosure spell we found in that book in our fifth year on Harry's blanket, I'm sure you'll find a good use for the item. Be careful and take care. Moony.

As soon as Sirius finished the note, the writing on it slowly faded and left only a blank piece of parchment. Sirius tucked into his sleeve just the same. Turning his attention to the blanket, he racked his brain to remember the spell Remus had mentioned. Slowly the old spell came to him. It had been clever of Remus to use a spell that wasn't sophisticated, but was so old, it slipped past most modern methods to detect it. Pointing the wand at the piece of cloth, Sirius muttered the spell quietly.

Almost instantly the piece of cloth began to spread out and lengthen like a contained pool of shimmering liquid until it stretched out on the floor before him. Sirius stared at the article in dumbfounded amazement.

James' invisibility cloak.

"Merlin's Beard, Remus!" Sirius exclaimed softly. "How did you get this?"

The cloak didn't seem to be any one color, but shone with an array of colors that rippled over it's surface.

Sirius suddenly turned his attention back to the wand. In a rush of memory he remembered why the wand had felt so familiar. Like the cloak, it had belonged to his best friend.

Sirius shook his head again. "Moony, you shouldn't have done this." He said quietly. "If they catch me with this, they'll know where it came from. And the wand. Then you'll end up in Azkaban right along with me. Then what'll happen to our Harry?"

Sirius seemed to give the question some serious thought. But he quickly frowned at the answer he came up with.

"Probably send him back to those muggles. And he won't have anyone to watch over him then." Sirius looked at the cloak again. "Or maybe this is just the position you wanted me in, you old wolf. No way to back out. When they come to get me, they would find these, and they'd know who brought them." Sirius coughed again a few times, then slowly lowered himself back to the floor. What had Remus been thinking? He knew he was sick. He was the one who kept pointing it out to anyone who would listen. Mostly to Sirius. Didn't Remus realize he wasn't in any condition to try an escape?

Sirius coughed up another lung full of blood and phlegm and spat it into the bowl. 

Slowly he turned his mind back to the problem at hand. Remus obviously had assumed a certain amount of risk to aid him in attempting to escape. If he did nothing, Remus was bound to be found out. But what if he could get out? What if he could really escape? He could get rid of the wand and the cloak and no one would be the wiser. Just a bunch of dumbfounded ministry members wondering how he had gotten out. When they found him, he didn't have to tell anyone.

'Wait a minute.'

Sirius' mind suddenly focused on something he had been missing. 

'Black, you idiot.' He thought. 'If you're lucky enough to make it out, all you're worrying about is how to explain yourself when you get caught. What if you don't? What if they don't catch you? What if you actually make good an escape?'

Sirius tried to focus his fevered thoughts on the possibility of a successful escape. What if he got out? Then what? Remus said he had a safe place to go to. His house. He'd be safe there. He'd be with Harry.

Harry.

Nothing seemed to center his thoughts quite as well as that one idea. Being back with his godson.

But first he had to get out.

Remus had given him all the tools. He just had to put them to proper use.

Sirius shook his head as he felt his body's exhaustion trying to engulf him. He had managed to remain fairly lucid and steady in Remus' presence. But the display had cost him a great deal, and he was now starting to feel it. He got to his feet and walked to the bars. Leaning his head against them again he listened for the sounds of the building shutting down for the night.

He had to stay awake. Everything depended on that. If he fell asleep he might not wake up in time. And morning would be too late.

Pulling back from the bars, Sirius began to pace his cell. Walking was how he stayed awake on the streets. Walking was how he would stay awake now.

But walking required more air in his lungs, and breathing was already so very hard. 

Hadn't Moony said something about getting him a doctor? Why hadn't he let Moony get the doctor?

'Because you're an idiot.' He answered himself. But no, that wasn't the real reason. He hadn't thought it would matter. That's why he hadn't bothered with it. Why cure him just to send him to Azkaban, where most of the prisoners go insane or die anyway?

Sirius sighed to himself. If it was difficult for him just to walk about his cell, how was he going to get to Remus' house? Remus lived near Hogsmeade. And that was a very long way away from London. Could he even hope to survive such a journey as sick as he was?

Sirius found himself back at the bars, staring out at the wall opposite him. How could he ever hope to get out of this place? And how could he ever make it to Remus' house? 

Escape seemed an impossible dream.

But if he stayed, he was facing a nightmare.

Q&A

Hayleyhedwig 11: Well, technically, he stole a car.

Remus was just making conversation. He had no idea that the comment about Peter would get such a reaction out of Sirius.

If you'll remember back to the beginning of the story, the blanket is the same one Sirius found Harry wrapped in when he found the baby in the ruins of the house at Godric's Hollow. I don't know that Harry's obsessed with it (can a baby be obsessed with something?). It's just the one thing he's always had and it's sort of a comfort to him. It's familiar.

I'll try not to miss a Sunday. But the site seems to have been having some trouble lately. Things like that I can't control. If I can't get on, I can't post. But in such events I try to get the story up as soon as possible.

The Bonds That Tie currently is running a little longer than Fever. I doubt I'll add any more chapters to it and it'll probably be posted as it stands now, unless I get some really knock-me-over suggestion or someone points out some horrible continuity error that can only be corrected with an added chapter.

The reason for that is that I'm working on another story called Enemy (which is taking up most of my writing time right now) that will post probably shortly after this one is finished. The reason is that Enemy has to go up before Family Relations due to content. Enemy is a story about Orion Black, Sirius' brother, that covers some things about his life you'll need to know before reading Family Relations, since Orion figures so prominently in that story.

I love questions. Keep 'em coming.

Sandrine Black: You think he's in a state now? Oh, dear. Keep reading.

Anyway, glad you liked the chapter. I did warn this was a very anguishy story.

Dumbledore's True Love: Wear it proudly, Dear. You more than earned it. Not many people, as I said, can claim to be even close to ever backing me into a corner I couldn't talk my way out of.

Yes, that's a possibility. But Remus left Harry with a witch, who was aware of the situation and therefore on her toes, so to speak. I'm sure Remus also didn't waste a lot of time chatting up the guards at the jail while he was there and hurried home as fast as possible.

Hey now! (Jumps to Sirius' defense.) Sirius is sick. NOT losing it! Poor man has pneumonia.

That part about getting him out came up in this chapter.

Voldemort may or may not have a body right now. For the sake of later stories in which I'm betting he'll need one, I'll say he does. But in this particular story, it just isn't a factor.

Ohhhhhhh! Stuffed animals! P.A.R. loves stuffed animals!

Give me time with the Dumbledore thing. It's still early in the story. Things need to develop a bit more.

I have no problem reading original work, or any story for that matter, but I prefer to read finished work. No offence intended here, but see it from my point of view. My time is very limited between everything that I do. I have a job, a house to keep, I write for this site, and I'm working on my next novel. So you see, I prefer not to spend time reading something that isn't going anywhere, so to speak. If your serious, in other words, sure, I'd be happy to make some sort of arrangement to have you get it to me. But finish it first, O.K.?

MegOfAllTrades: Oh, I realize it was a compliment, dear. It's just I get asked about who I am all the time here. It's simply not a question I can answer unfortunately. Now you know why.

I wish I could tell you anything about myself past the fact that P.A.R. are the initials of my pen name. And the only reason I felt safe doing that was because my last story was published several years ago and it's darned unlikely anyone will find it. It's also very specific. You'd have to know what you were looking for.

Kit: Signing up what, dear? A story? That would depend. First you have to register. That's the little thing up on top of almost every page. Click on that and follow the instructions. But, if it helps, I have to tell you few people in this world are more intimidated by computers than P.A.R. (and I work with them). So if I could do it, surely anyone can. If you tell me what sort of problems your having specifically, maybe some of the others can help as well. Give it a try, write down what happens as you go, and post it up here. I'll certainly try to help.

And thank you for the review. Consistent readership is a GOOD thing!

Pottermouth: A small comment, but possibly an important one in the future should you go looking for the story. The sequel to Family Life is posting as Family Relations, not 'Family Matters'.

Oh, great! Blame me for your being bald! Wrong! Your problems are your own, dear.

Ya' know, you got me thinking evil thoughts. Like posting the first chapter of Family Relations and leaving you for the next few months to stew.

P.A.R. is starting to like that idea. I'll think about it some more.

But for heavens sake, leave your hair alone! I am working on Family Relations. And technically that is writing it. Does that count? But the story is taking a considerable amount of time due to content. (That's a nice way of saying it's a bit complicated.). I also have another story, Enemy, that has to post first because it's going to give you a bit of a rooting in the character of Orion Black that will help you understand the character a bit better. So I'm afraid Family Relations is starting to look like a summer read.

Starlight: Now how can I answer that? At least not without upsetting a lot of people.

Hermione Gulliver: Well, seeing as some 700 other people have read it and NOT reviewed, how can I be mad at someone who does?

Happy ending? Did you not read the author's notes at the first chapter?

Sorry, there is no sequel planned to The Bonds That Tie. At least not officially. I am planning on working in this AU a bit though, which means you can expect to see other stories with the characters written within this canon. As I mentioned, I like working with Harry as a baby. Cuts down a great deal on dialogue for me.

Me: WOW! Look who gets the gold star this week! Why? Because you sat down and took the time to spell out that word. P.A.R. is impressed! So, here you go, Me. (*)

Oh, and it was totally fun, and completely amusing!

Lotesse: 

Dear Mrs. Lotesse;

You may not know me, but I have been writing stories on Fanfiction.Net for some time now. Stories which your daughter, the English Teacher, has been kind enough to consent to review for me.

I can assure you I am of good character and only have a small arrest record, and despite the video tape, my lawyer is still fairly certain he can beat the rap for me.

As an author myself, I can tell you that most of my education as a writer came from my reading of other people's books. I spent large sums of money on this. But somehow it managed to impress itself enough upon my own meager writing skills to help me become a published author.

Therefore, it is with a great deal of sincerity that I would request that you support your daughter's inborn, incessant need to read everything she can get her hands on. And one day, after years of sacrifice on your part for all you had to give up so that she could have books to read, she will proudly come to you one day and show you her first published book. She will then tell you what she was paid, which will promptly have you crying in your tea thinking that she could have had a real job making good money by now.

Sincerely,

P.A.R.

How was that?

Oh, and don't worry about writing to my editor. He'd probably just ignore you. He's been doing that to me for years.

Anyway, I can tell you P.A.R. hasn't even begun to milk the anguish cow yet. I promised you tons of anguish and tons of anguish you shall have!

Harry's coming back, don't worry. But I have to stick to those darn child labor laws. Can't work him too much.

What's wrong with Sirius? He had a nasty little cold that developed into a nasty little case of pneumonia. Oh, by the way, Sirius isn't in Azkaban right now. He's in the ministry jail currently.

*P.A.R. begins paging through her Fanfiction handbook.* Darn! Don't remember seeing that one either!

'Like frogs in a thunderstorm'. (Giggles.) I like that. Never heard it before. But in regard to everyone's thoughts on my portrayal of Dumbledore, I just have to say 'give it time'. It's still early in the story.

The feeling between the Marauders are pretty much canon here. A this point in time the only friction is between Sirius and Peter, because Sirius is the only one (at this point) who knows Peter is a traitor, and even he's not 100% sure what's going on with Wormtail. Remus had his suspicions about Sirius, and he still hasn't sorted things out 100% either, as you saw in this chapter. But he's getting there. A lot of what's turning Remus around is simply watching Harry and Sirius together. There's nothing he can see between the two but an undisguised love and affection. Especially on Harry's part for his godfather. But now I'm getting ahead of myself, so I have to shut up.

Again, Sirius isn't in Azkaban yet, so no Dementors as yet.

Dang! Spelling Police! And here I am with all those unpaid spelling tickets! No wonder I don't support their fraternal order.

Actually, it wasn't your suggestion about Katlin that I was laughing at. It was your comment about her future. As I often tell people, your train's on the right track, but you left the station without all your passengers on board. But you will be seeing her in all her Deatheater glory in another up-coming story. She's definitely not a woman to mess with.

Nagini: Sorry. Nope. P.A.R. is very firm about the one chapter a week thing, I'm afraid.

How do you get something published? Well, for one, a lot of work. My recommendation is, listening to friends and family is fine. They're great for encouragement. But to head out on the road to getting published, you need a lot more than just encouragement. You need a professional. My advice is, if you seriously want to try for publication, show your work first to an English teacher and asked they're opinion. They can be invaluable in helping you clear up spelling and grammatical errors. Nothing in this world will stop your chances of being published faster than those two things. Because no editor in his right mind is going to bother with a writer who needs a good course in English. They simply don't have the time. Also, take a creative writer course. These classes aren't going to make you a writer any more than an art class is going to make you a painter. You either have the talent or you don't. But it will definitely help you polish up your skills.

Once you have that all taken care of, you can try checking out The Poetry Writers Market (and I may not have the name exactly right, but it'll be close). If you've never heard of it, you need to get acquainted with it. It's a fairly large book that is published every year and is a wonderful tool for cutting down on research time. This book lists every major publisher of poems, as well as their address, editors names, phone numbers, and a list of submission requirements. As that the book ain't cheap, you can probably find it in your local library. You can also scan the internet now for listing of poetry publishers. BUT BE WARNED! These are not always reputable and sometimes they are Vanity Press publishers. The Poetry Writers Market, to my knowledge, researches each company they list to make sure they are reputable. 

Good luck with the poems.

(For the regular writers out there, The Writers Market is the companion to The Poetry Writers Market and lists much the same information, just for the novel and short story publishers instead.).

Mayleesa: Thank you. I hope you enjoy the rest of the story.

Alexa Black: *P.A.R. stands stunned.* YOU don't have any theories? Not even one?!!! But.....but...................but you ALWAYS have a theory! I'm just shocked.

Oh, well.

As to the 'sad story' part. You were warned about this. Now is not the time to come crying to me. All you'll get out of me is a copy of chapter one with the Athor's Notes highlighted.

Wolf Of Solitude: *GASP!* Wolf has a heart?!

I'm so sorry. This weeks gold star was already awarded. And I don't give honorable mention. But you were a close runner up because you thought J.K. Rowling would like my story. Wow! What a compliment! I'd be surprised if she'd even take the time to read it. Her stories are far more complicated and better written than mine. And the woman has plot twists down to a science.

And that first paragraph of your review. *P.A.R. wipes away another tear.* What can I say? *Wipes away another tear.* That was so sweet. It is definitely among the nicest, most wonderful reviews I've gotten. And since your review was so nice, I'll just say, 'Anguish! Oh, look, Wolf! There's more anguish on the way!'. 

You're more or less like the rest of the reviewers on the site? How did you come to that, dear? I mean, you, after all, REVIEW (nice long ones, too). I've got 700 other people who don't.

Oh, I don't mind telling you how long I've been writing. I think it is close to three decades now. (I told you I was old. Go read the bio. page again.)

Learning how my mind works, hmmmm? Don't go there, dear. It's a scary place.

Hmmmm, next paragraph, lots of questions........yeah, P.A.R. is happy.

O.K., I have to be very careful here because I have to ride a fine edge with answering some of these.

Sirius isn't looking to take care of himself because, as you started to see in this chapter, he doesn't feel he'll have to. He has a plan, which he's already set in motion. Now he just has to see it through and he feels everything will be fine. Harry won't need him anymore and he can go pop off quietly.

Hope? The man couldn't find the word if you gave him a dictionary right now.

Trial? What trial? This is the MINISTRY, for heavens sake. *P.A.R. laughs.* A trial. Please! You know how the ministry spells 'trial'? A-Z-K-A-B-A-N.

Why isn't Dumbledore showering them with words of wisdom and such? I'll answer that with an old saying that's near and dear to my heart. 'When there's nothing you can do, the best thing to do is nothing.' But believe me, Dumbledore is watching the situation carefully.

Takes a child a long time to trust someone. And poor Harry's been through a lot lately. Currently he's just trying to adjust to the fact his 'voice' is gone, and a new one has taken it's place. Plus, children are more perceptive then people give them credit for sometimes. Especially babies. And Harry can sense that everyone around him right now is pretty tense. So he knows something's wrong, he just isn't sure what. So despite how nice Remus is trying to be to him, he's still scared.

Gia: Unfortunately, due to my time restraints currently going on, I can only post once a week. Usually on Sundays.

Kiara O. Lawrence: Oh, dear. Your story sounds very familiar. Which means it probably falls under the category of its one of those stories I've read but haven't revie.......well, you get the picture. But look at it this way. The way I see it, for every one person who does review, there are about sixty-five to a hundred who don't. At least that's how my statistical hits are running right now on this and my other stories. Trust me, 'Enhanced Statistics' is well worth the money. But I do understand what a written review can do for a writers soul and I am trying. I am critiquing one story currently, and that's about all I can do right now. I hope to free up some time shortly and do a few more. But your on my list. And that's further than most people get.

Anyway, I do thank you. This was such a wonderful review. It was one of the ones that really made my week. I'm pleased beyond words if I actually inspire another writer. What a wonderful compliment! And I'm even able to cheer you up a bit. But please try to not let the review thing get you down. Write for yourself. Not for others. To do otherwise will never bring you joy as a writer.

Zimmy Russell: So. Are you having a good birthday, dear? I hope so. Birthdays are great.

Yes. I missed you last week. I miss all my regulars when you don't review and wonder what happened to you or how I insulted you into not coming back the last time.

Yes, indeed. Poor Sirius is in need of a doctor. Unfortunately, two people don't see it that way. The ministry as a collective person...., and Sirius.

Still working on the Jolt cola thing.

Happy Birthday.

Whisp!

Bad news, Whisp. P.A.R. read your story. Need I say more? *Whisp looks over reviews page. 'Strange. I don't see any P.A.R. here. Where's the review? You mean you didn't review AGAIN!?'*

Oh, goody! P.A.R. is performing miracles now! Sell tickets!

Yup. Things are on the desperate side of Sirius needing a doctor.

Good or bad, but the Deatheaters are out of the story at this point. But as I've said, I revise as I go, so 'never say never'.

O.K., I can't point this out enough, because it is important to the story. Sirius hasn't been officially accused of anything yet, therefore there is no need for him to go free. He's being held only for questioning. The problem he's facing is the ministry thinks the best place for him is Azkaban because they think he's nutters and basically see no point in bothering with him. The ministry doesn't WANT to see anything else. Heavens, that might make them have to take a second look at things. They're solution is to simply ship Sirius off to Azkaban as fast as possible and let the problem take care of itself.

The rest of your review was answered in this chapter. Good job, by the way, in thinking out that Harry's visit was important.

Tiger Lily: As you can see, Sirius did get to see Harry again. The part about the doctor I can't respond to yet. Anybody dieing? Can't answer that one either. Sorry.

Black Sparkles: Since when did you move to Wyoming, get married, and have five kids? (Sorry, dear. That's the description of my best friend of the past ohhhh......nineteen years.)

But I can have more than one best friend, I guess. However, I wouldn't even tell her if this story has a happy ending. Sorry.

Glad you liked the chapter.

Lin-z: Too tired to log-in, huh? You need more sleep, dear. 

And exactly WHAT are you doing reading stories at 1 in the frinckin' A.M., young lady? GET YOUR ASS TO BED! Heavens! Do I have to mother the whole world?!

Nope. Can't answer those questions. So don't ask.

Karla: aka-trouble-maker.

Wow! You've read them all? Even Family Life? Dang! P.A.R. is impressed (and very grateful)! Thank you.

I believe I've read some things by Iniga. She's very good (if it's the same person I'm thinking of).

Yes, Family Life has two sequels currently in production. Family Relations and Family Ties. However, do not expect the sequels to start until late spring or summer.

Well, it's like this. I'm the mother of two cats. And that's about it. I have no children and have limited contact with them. Therefore, yes, I probably have the developmental skills thing WAY off. For this reason I've never mentioned his age, I only drop vague references about it in the story. P.A.R. has been researching the subject, however, and hopes to get better at describing proper age-related skills.

O.K., try to follow me. A couple of people questioned the thing about why Sirius isn't either saying something about Peter or out trying to kill him. So let me try to clear it up. First off, keep in mind that Sirius was SUPPOSE to be the Potter's secret-keeper. It was on his recommendation that they switched to Peter. Next, Sirius isn't sure (not 100%) that Peter had anything to do with the Potter's deaths. For all he knows, Peter was captured by Voldemort and tortured until he gave him the information he wanted. A point he can't prove or disprove as that no one has seen or heard from the little rat since that night. Finally, since he's faced with a lot of 'what if's' and a lot more guilt about his role in his best friends deaths, he's really not that keen on discussing the matter. So, what have you got here? Well, you've got Sirius not talking about anything because he just isn't in a state to face things right now, Dumbledore and Remus not asking any questions because they aren't sure what's going on with Sirius at the moment (remember that the reason Sirius was placed with Remus in the first place was because Dumbledore and Remus had some doubts about his involvement in the events of that night, but no proof one way or the other), and the ministry just looking for a warm body to accuse. Oh! Look! There's poor Sirius!

I hope I'm still a favorite.

No. This story is an AU and has no connection whatsoever to Family Life.

Well, I don't know about the perfection part, but I am planning other stories in this AU. Whether or not they will deal with Sirius having custody of or raising Harry I can't say for obvious reasons.

As to the posting thing, due to time restraints I can only post once a week. I usually post on Sundays, usually at night, although the time of day has sort of gone up for grabs right now due to work schedules.

O.K., due to having to post early in the morning, I had to cut the reviews off early. So reviews are as of 02162002.

Thanks again to all who reviewed. If I missed you, I apologize. Let me know. You can blackmail me big time for doing that.

See you next week.


	8. Chapter Six Three A.M. Visitor

A/N: Awwwwwww. It's so cute, you'll hardly be able to stand it. And I generally don't do cute.

Once more, folks, I am telling you, go read Starlight's It's A One Time Thing That Just Happens A Lot. The lady just out-does herself with each new chapter. You will not regret the time you put into reading this wonderful story.

I was going to do a great deal more with this chapter, but time simply would not permit. I hope you enjoy it still.

On with the story.

Chapter Six: Three A.M. Visitor

Remus returned straight to his house as soon as he left the ministry building. Now he sat in the cozy livingroom of his small, two story home before a cheerfully blazing fire, reading to the child that was dozing in his arms.

A sudden bolt of lighting and a loud rumble of thunder shook the baby awake again as surely as it shook the house. Harry grabbed tightly onto Remus' robes and hugged his tattered blanket to him as he buried his face against Remus' chest.

"It's all right, Harry." Remus tried to reassure the frightened child. "It's just a storm."

'Just a storm', Remus mused to himself unhappily. The 'storm' had blown up just as he arrived home that night. He had barely made it in the door when the wind started blowing, and minutes later the rain had started.

Remus turned to the window. Things couldn't seem to be going worse. What if Sirius did manage to escape tonight? He'd be stepping out into the full fury of the storm. As sick as he had looked that morning, how would he manage to make it to Remus' house safely?

Maybe he should go out and try and meet him half-way?

No. What if he missed him?

He should have made some sort of better plan to meet Sirius somewhere closer. He could have picked him up and brought him to his house.

No. Sirius would never have agreed to that. He was too loyal to put his friends in that kind of danger.

Another bolt of lighting and another rumble of thunder snapped Remus back to the present. Harry whimpered unhappily in his lap.

"Paf?" The baby whispered hopefully.

"Soon, Harry." Remus whispered back as he leaned down and kissed Harry lightly on his head before he caressed a hand over the baby's head. "Soon."

The sudden chime of the doorbell nearly jolted Remus out of his chair. The sudden movement made Harry let lose with frightened wail. 

Remus stared expectant towards the front door.

'That can't be him.' He thought, trying to calm himself down. 'It's much too soon. Get a grip, Lupin.'

Getting to his feet with the crying baby in his arms, Remus made his way to the front door. Slowly opening it, Remus found himself facing a slightly wet Dumbledore. He quickly stepped aside and ushered the older man in.

"Albus! Good heavens! What brings you here on a night like this?"

Dumbledore studied a crying Harry for a moment as he shook out his umbrella. "Seems I'm not the only one upset by storms." He remarked as Harry continued to cry. He gently stroked the baby's cheek. "Never could stand a loud storm. Always scared me something awful."

Remus stood patiently waiting for an answer to his question as he tried to quiet Harry.

"I don't suppose you've heard the news yet." Dumbledore stated finally. "That's why I came straight away. Though it'll probably be front page of tomorrow's Daily Prophet."

"News?" Remus asked, genuinely curious.

"Sirius Black escaped from his cell at the ministry." Dumbledore stated as though he were discussing yesterday's weather report. "No one seems to have the slightest idea how he managed it."

"Sirius?" Was all Remus managed to get out past trying to stifle his own surprise and relief.

"Yes. I suppose it's a good thing we left the protection spells around your house for the time being. Makes getting here a bit harder, not being able to come by floo powder or apparating. No telling what Black might try. Being as deranged as he is and all that."

Remus wasn't sure if he saw a trace of a smile on Dumbledore's face or not for a second. But the Headmaster was just as quickly all business again.

"I came to let you know, of course, and suggest perhaps you might want to bring Harry to the castle until things settle down a bit."

Remus stood for a moment without answering. Sirius had actually managed to escape. 

"Remus?" Dumbledore asked, looking at him curiously.

Remus snapped out of his thoughts. "What? Oh, I'm sorry, Albus." He apologized quickly. "Ahhh..., no, I think Harry and I will stay here. As you said, the protection spells are still in place. No one can get into the house if they intend to harm Harry. We should be perfectly safe here."

"I see." Dumbledore smiled at him. "You know, they say you were likely the last person to see Sirius before he escaped. I don't suppose he said anything to you? Something that might have indicated what he was planning?"

Remus adopted the blankest expression he could master before answering. "Sirius said very little, Albus. He was very sick when I left him tonight. In fact, if I were to worry about him at all, I suppose I would be. Out in this weather. As sick as he was. If he had some plan of where to go, I would worry if he could even reach it safely at all."

"Indeed." Dumbledore paused for a moment as he studied the man in front of him. "Well, I won't keep you. I would guess it's near little Harry's bedtime." The Headmaster said. He turned back to the door, but stopped suddenly as he turned back to Remus. "Just so you're aware," He added, "I would guess the ministry will be watching your house just in case Sirius tries to come here...for whatever reason. I wouldn't want you to be alarmed if you saw someone standing outside or so."

Remus stood for a moment. They were going to be watching the house! What if Sirius did show up? He was sure to get caught again. And it was unlikely he could manage another escape. Remus pushed the thought to the back of his mind. He would think of something before Sirius showed up. He had to. "No, of course not, Albus. Thank you for letting me know." He replied in as normal a voice as he could.

"Do keep me informed if there are any problems, won't you, Remus?" Dumbledore said as he stepped back outside the door.

Remus nodded quickly. "Yes, sir. Of course."

Remus watched Dumbledore unfold his umbrella and step out into the rain. He walked to the end of the stone path, then quickly disapparated.

Remus slowly closed the door, locking out the storm.

Someone was watching the house.

That was all Remus could think of since Dumbledore had left.

How was Sirius going to get past the ministry Aurors? He likely wasn't even going to be looking for them. All he would likely be focused on was getting to the house.

Remus tried to distract his worried thoughts as he put Harry to bed. The baby thankfully was exhausted and went right to sleep without much fuss.

Checking once more to make sure everything was all right, Remus headed back downstairs to wait. He had already resigned himself to sit up all night if he had to, waiting to see if Sirius would try to contact him somehow.

Outside the storm raged on.

Close to three in the morning Remus found himself jolted upright in his chair. At first he wasn't sure what had caught his attention. Possibly the lashing of the rain or a crack of thunder he heard fading in the distance. But as he listened another sound caught his keen hearing.

A whine.

A scratching.

Remus was on his feet in an instant. He listened again.

The sound came from the back door.

Remus flew through the house and yanked open the back door of the house to the darkness outside.

There, laying on the back steps, was an enormous black dog.

Remus breathed a genuine sigh of relief for the second time that night.

Sirius had come in his animagus form. Something the ministry wouldn't be looking for.

Reaching back into the house behind him, Remus flicked the switch that turned on the light over the back steppes. A sudden bright light cut through the steady downpour. If anything, Remus wanted whoever might be watching to see the dog. Hoping they would mistake it as nothing more than a family pet, who had gotten caught int he storm and was late getting home.

"Well, finally!" Remus called out to the darkness, adding to the scene. "I thought you had gotten lost in the storm, Blacky." He added, looking relieved at the return of his 'pet'. "Well, come on. Let's get you inside and dried off."

Remus found he practically had to haul the dog up the steps as Sirius offered little in the way of help himself. He was, in fact, from what Remus could tell, shaking violently under his coat of hair and barely conscious. The dog barely managed to remain standing on its four feet as Remus lifted it up to a standing position.

Remus half-dragged the enormous animal into the livingroom and settled it on the rug before the fire. He then set about closing the curtains of the room, which he had left open in case Sirius tried to come to one of them and tried to get his attention by tapping on the glass.

As soon as the windows were all closed, Remus quickly cast a spell to break Sirius' animagus form. Within seconds the black dog dissolved into the shape of a man, drenched and shaking on the rug before the fire, but apparently taking little to no further notice of his surroundings.

Remus quickly pulled a cover off the back of the couch and threw it over Sirius. Next he ran to the bathroom and returned with a large, fluffy towel which he used to start drying him off. Within a few minutes Sirius was drier and warmer, but he was still shaking violently as he lay in front of the fire.

Sitting next to him on the rug, Remus continued to use the towel to wipe the dampness off of Sirius' face and arms. Sirius had broken into a heavy sweat as soon as Remus had gotten him dried off. Now he knelled in front of the fire with Sirius resting in his lap, brushing the dampened hair away from Sirius' face as he felt each shiver run through his friend's body. Through it all Sirius seemed absolutely unaware of Remus' presence or of anything around him for that matter. All he did was shake and cough and fight for each breath he took.

Remus had never felt so helpless in his life. He had already lost one friend. He didn't want to lose another. Not Sirius.

Remus pulled Sirius' fevered body up against his as he fought back his tears. He softly called Sirius' name over and over as he sat rocking back and forth with his friend in his arms, desperately trying to get some response from him. But the only response he got was Sirius' hands tightening their grip on him as long, thin fingers wrapped themselves about his lower arm. A response Remus felt was due more to pain than recognition, since the grip tightened every time the coughing started.

Remus had no idea how long he sat there before the fire with Sirius wrapped tightly in his arms. At first all he could concentrate on was Sirius' breathing. Praying fervently for each breath that followed each one before it. And slowly but surely, Sirius' breathing did seem to ease up and seemed to become easier for him.

Remus slowly sighed in relief as an errant tear made its way down his cheek. That, at least, was one positive sign.

Not sure what else to do for the moment, Remus eventually moved Sirius to the couch and, levitating it closer to the fire, settled him into a make-shift bed. The cushions of the sofa were large and soft and seemed to rise up around the body laying on them to gently cradle it in a warm, soft half-shell cocoon. Taking a lesson from what he had seen of Sirius' illness in his cell at the jail, Remus set a large bowl by the side of the couch. Finally looking things over and sure he had done all he could for the moment for Sirius, Remus checked on Harry once more before settling himself back on the floor beside the sofa to wait out the night.

The rest of the night was anything but peaceful. Between trying to keep Harry calm during the storm and watching over Sirius, Remus wasn't sure he was going to make it to morning. Several times every hour Sirius would cough up a mouthful of blood and phlegm and spit it into the bowl as Remus held it up for him as he sat rubbing and patting his back to try and help clear the congestion from his lungs. But the sound always seemed to somehow reach Harry's bedroom and the baby would start crying almost as soon as Sirius started coughing. After several tries to divide his time adequately, Remus ventured to simply bring Harry downstairs for the rest of the night. Hopefully the child would doze off in one of the large, soft chairs by the fire. At least until the next time Sirius was caught in another coughing spell. 

But as soon as Remus walked by the couch where Sirius was laying, Harry seemed to immediately recognize the form under the blanket. He suddenly squirmed about in Remus' hold and reached two tiny arms out to his godfather.

"Paf!" The baby cried. He shoved as hard as he could against Remus' hold on him, then reached out again to his godfather. "Paf!" He cried again as tears came to his eyes.

Remus stopped and turned the baby to him. "All right, all right, yes. Paf. But Paf is very, very sick. Much too sick for little babies to be near him."

All of this made a great impression on Harry, who shoved against Remus again and turned back to his godfather, reaching two tiny arms out for him again. "Paf!"

The commotion seemed to attract Sirius' limited attention as he turned slowly to the sound.

"Harry?" He asked in a weak, hoarse voice.

Remus sighed to himself, but with a small smile nonetheless, and knelled down in front of Sirius.

"Well, that's the most coherency you've shown all night, Sirius." He commented as the baby continued to squirm in his arms and reach out for his godfather. "How do you feel?"

Sirius' eyes scanned the area around him, then focused back on his godson, who he reached a finger out to from under the cover.

"Where am I?" He asked in a whispered voice, barely getting each word out.

"You're at my house." Remus answered as Harry happily grabbed hold of the offered finger and dragged it straight for his mouth. But before it made it to it's destination, Remus lightly slapped it away, causing Harry to lose his grip on it. "No, no!" Remus instructed in a would-be sharp tone. "I know where that's been. And on account of that, it's not going in your mouth."

"Mean old Moony." Sirius rasped as he smiled at his godson and reached out to stroke his cheek.

"You're sick." Remus replied, pushing Sirius' hand away from Harry. "Now, again, how do you feel?"

Sirius pulled the cover back up around him, as though he were suddenly keenly aware of how cold he felt.

"Cold." He replied as Remus laid a hand on his forehead while trying to keep Sirius out of Harry's reach as the baby tried to grab hold of Sirius' hair this time.

"Well, that's the last answer I expected." Remus replied. "You're burning up with fever."

"That too." Sirius grunted weakly.

"Well, at least you're a little more coherent. You were barely even conscious when you got here."

"How long?"

Remus looked at the clock. "You showed up about three hours ago. Sun'll be up soon, I suspect. And Dumbledore stopped by earlier."

Sirius looked up at him expectantly.

"He came to tell me you'd escaped, and to warn me that the ministry was watching the house."

Sirius suddenly tried to pull himself up. "The ministry? They're here?"

Remus quickly fought to keep Sirius on the couch. Thankfully, it wasn't much of a fight. "No. Sirius, no. They're probably watching the house, but they're outside. And I won't let them in. No matter what. You're safe. Please," Remus eased him back down, "just lay back down. You're perfectly safe here."

Sirius slowly let himself be guided back under the covers. "They...they didn't see me arrive?" He asked worriedly.

"If they saw anything at all through the downpour, all they saw was me bringing in my pet dog. But I doubt you even remember that. You were so sick, I had to use a spell to break your animagus form."

Sirius slowly shook his head, pulling the covers back around him. "Just remember...running. That's all. James....James' cloak...and the wand...I left them hidden outside."

"You can tell me where they are later and I'll go get them. It's not important right now, Sirius. All you have to work on right now is getting better."

Sirius had gone back to playing with Harry, wiggling his finger in front of the laughing baby.

"Will you stop trying to get him sick too." Remus stated, slapping at Harry's new toy.

"He's got a ton of spells on him to protect him." Sirius rasp out past a slight cough. "Never got sick before this."

"You think you can make it upstairs?" Remus asked. "I think you'd be better settled into a bed."

Through a long and arduous process, assisted largely in part by Remus, Sirius managed to make it to a sitting position. He slowly tried to get to his feet, but halfway up he suddenly wavered and collapsed back on the couch.

"Nope." He replied bluntly.

"All right. Just stay there." Remus advised. "Let me put Harry down and I'll be back to help." 

A few minutes later Remus returned to the livingroom to find Sirius still sitting on the couch. But his head was now resting against the back of it and he looked like he had fallen asleep again.

"Sirius?" Remus asked, poking him slightly. "Come on. You can sleep in a few minutes. Let's get you upstairs first."

Sirius got groggily to his feet with Remus' help and nearly collapsed against him as soon as he was up-right. Several long, exhausting minutes later, Remus managed to make it up the stairs with Sirius and get him into a bed he had prepared for him.

Settling in to the crisp, white sheets, Sirius sighed contentedly as his body relaxed against the mattress.

Remus watched his long-time friend settle into the bed. It was probably against anyone's better judgment to move Sirius, but Remus simply didn't want to risk anyone outside accidentally catching sight of Sirius on the sofa downstairs. All in all, Remus felt he was safer in an upstairs bedroom. 

"All right." Remus said, straightening the sheets and pulling the comforter over him. "Just try to get some sleep."

Sirius coughed again as Remus crouched next to the bed. He lay a hand on Sirius' forehead. "How are you feeling?" He asked as he brushed a few of the long black strands away from Sirius' face.

Sirius sighed quietly and nodded his head a bit. "Safer and warmer than I've been in months." Came the soft reply.

Remus smiled slightly. "Sleep is the best thing for you, Sirius." Remus replied as he got to his feet. "That and we need to get a few decent meals into you." He added as he started to get to get up again.

But Sirius' hand reached out and grabbed Remus' wrist.

"Moony," he rasp out, staring up at his friend, "thank you."

Remus crouched back down by the bed. "For what, Padfoot?"

"For believing. For saying....that you don't believe I had anything to do with James and Lily's deaths. Thank you....for believing that."

Remus paused for a moment. Sirius seemed a bit more lucid. "What about the muggles, Sirius?" He asked. "What happened at the Dursley's?"

Sirius shook his head slightly. "I don't know, Remus. I swear. I took Harry and I left. That was all." 

Sirius started to cough again and Remus quickly held the bowl up for him as he spit a mouthful of blood-tainted phlegm into it. Remus frowned slightly as Sirius lay back in the bed, wheezing for breath again.

"You need to let your body get some rest, Sirius." Remus advised. "Try and get some sleep."

A sudden wail down the hall screamed for his attention. Remus disappeared out the door and reappeared a few minutes later carrying Harry in his arms.

"You need to try and get some sleep too." Remus advised the crying baby.

But a sudden flash of lighting outside the window, followed by a roll of thunder elicited another loud wail from the child.

"Harry's afraid of storms." A soft voice offered from the bed.

Remus looked down at Sirius. "No kidding."

Sirius reached up for the baby. "Give him here."

Remus pulled back. "Forget it, Sirius. You're too sick."

"He doesn't stop until the storm does." Sirius stated past a cough. "He'll cry himself hoarse by then."

Remus thought for a moment, then slowly laid Harry down on the bed next to Sirius.

Remus watched as a look of pure joy took over his friend's features. Sirius immediately began cooing and coddling the baby as a happy, giggling Harry grabbed at the finger wagging in front of him.

Another bolt of lightening lit the room and a clap of thunder shook the windows. Harry immediately burrowed into the sheets and pulled tightly against Sirius' chest. But this time he didn't cry.

Remus sighed to himself as he headed for the chair in the corner of the room. As he settled into it he glanced back over at the bed. For all appearances, Sirius was already asleep again. But Harry was staring wide-eyed out from where he laid wrapped safely in Sirius' hold. Remus watched as another flash of lightening and clap of thunder caused the baby to squirm closer to his godfather. But still he didn't cry. Instead he rolled over and, grabbing two tiny fistfuls of Sirius' long, black hair, pulled tighter against his godfather. All of his efforts were rewarded as Sirius stirred slightly and wrapped both his arms about the baby and hugged him tightly to his chest. Satisfied that he could no longer see the lightening at least, and was now wrapped safe and warm in the cocoon of Sirius' arms, Harry seemed to slowly drift off to sleep, follow in suit by Remus.

Q&A

O.K. You had your fun. Now its my turn.

First and foremost, I am going to Padfoot's Bone. COME ON! Get up here! 

*P.A.R. drapes an arm over Padfoot's Bone as they walk up on the stage and turns them to the audience.* 

O.K.. I want everyone to know just how happy this person has made me. P.A.R. has been smiling for DAYS now. Why? This wonderful person here has decided to go and make P.A.R.'s day by reviewing Family Life.....CHAPTER BY CHAPTER! So, Padfoot's Bone *Shakes hand.* P.A.R. is pleased and honored and just tickled silly to aware you this weeks gold star! (*). THERE YOU GO!!!!!!!!!!

O.K.. Back to the regular reviews.

*Grabs Padfoot's Bone by the shirt as they try to walk off stage.* Get back here. I'm not done with you yet. You had some comments I need to answer.

First off, I'm glad you like anguishy stories. If you didn't, BOY, are you reading the wrong thing! This story is loaded with anguish. I'm even keeping Wolf happy. And I didn't think anyone could put enough anguish in a story to keep Wolf happy!

Also, again I can't say thank you enough for reviewing Family Life. One chapter at a time no less. Thank you for liking the scene with Arabella and the dictionary. Sometimes you do have to be a bit direct with Sirius. And you know? I never thought of it (and certainly didn't plan it), but your right, the last line of chapter five was awfully familiar.

I'm glad you liked chapter nine. It was one of my favorites. Chapter ten was actually one of the original chapters and close to (in my opinion) one of the best. (By original chapters I mean, this story wasn't written in order. It was written as ideas came to me and then I arranged them into a story and filled in the blanks with the other chapters. Chapter ten was one of the first written chapters. Chapter eleven was, by the way, THE original chapter.)

Sirius as Padfoot is one of my favorite ways to write about him. I don't know why. I guess it's because dogs have so much expressive ability and its fun to try and use that to make him able to communicate his wants as a dog.

Sirius, Remus, and Arabella were all Auror's (in the world according to P.A.R., mind you). And of them, Sirius was, without a doubt, the most powerful. Which is a factor in the sequel.

If you hadn't won the gold star this week for doing such a nice thing for P.A.R., you'd have won for commenting on Moody's description of Padfoot. I can't think how many times I re-wrote that.

Actually I'd like to point out that the fact that Harry is almost ALWAYS walking in on them is sort of a running joke throughout the story.

Don't worry about the amount of time this takes. I come home every day and immediately jump on the site to see what you've added. It's been so long since anyone reviewed this story, I was wondering if it was being read anymore.

If you have questions, feel free to ask. And just as a warning, near the end, in the Deatheater's lair, Analisa is stated as talking to someone as Voldemort launches his last assault on Sirius. That is being changed and it is important. She isn't talking to Lupin there. She's talking to Snape.

Oh, and say something nice about Analisa. P.A.R. likes Analisa.

Keep up the great work!!!!!!!!!!

Nagini: Oh dear. Disappointment to report. The sequel to Family Life is looking to be a summer reader. Enemy has to go up first. And that's a story I'm currently a little worried about posting. It'll be my first 'R' rated story, (For content, not sexual encounters. Get your minds out of the gutter, people. Shame on you!) and it really is a 'love' or 'hate' story. You either love it, or you shake your head and wonder where mild little P.A.R. ever came up with this one.

Sorry about the suspense thing, dear.

vmr: Thank you, as always.

Me: A 77% for misspelling 56 words!? Exactly how many words were in this test!!!? I mean, you work the percentages there and you're looking at what.......around two to three hundred words?

Oh, and don't asked P.A.R. about spelling, dear. It's just not advised. Go read the bio. page again.

Well, I don't know how 'easy' it was to get out for our favorite convict, but 'escape' does seem to be Sirius' middle name.

Glad I made your day.

Lin-z: O.K., you can take this as a threat, a warning, or, I'll never understand why, something to look forward to, but Harry Potter and the Gryffindor's Secret is next on my list to be critiqued. So get ready. And remember, one, YOU asked for it, and two, I critique very honestly. (You did asked for it, right?)

I never thought that 'sneak' ever did Remus justice. 'Well thought out' seems better.

O.K., you can get out of bed. But come on! At least an hour a day, O.K.? Body needs some rest. Honestly!

Actually, I hate to say it, but most creative people do seem to be night-owls.

19!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *Rolls on the floor.* P.A.R. can't even REMEMBER 19. Good Lord! That was twen..............it was a while ago.

*Pats self on back.* Yah, P.A.R.!

Alexa Black: Quick and easy? When did I ever make anything 'quick and easy'? O.K., there were those brownies last week, but that was it!

Wait a minute! It'll either be 'easy' or 'hard'? Isn't that like saying the answer is either 'right' or 'wrong'?

Remember, AU. I get to change the past all I want. Yay!

Black Sparkles: You guys are making me feel guilt with the amount of trouble I'm causing with the suspense thing. I'm glad a lot of it was cleared up with this chapter. But it is anguishy. You were warned. Gotta be suspense to be anguishy.

Peacockgirl: Ohhhhhh, look! Someone got a 'Word Of The Day' calendar for Christmas.

I have NEVER been one to accuse any 'read but not reviewed' person. Like I have room to do that with how many stories I've read and not rev...........Oh! Look! Isn't Mars bright tonight!

Honestly, I appreciate every review I get.

I'm happy to hear that you aspire in your life to work dusk to dawn for little money and almost no recognition. (Such is the life of an author, Dear.)

I don't generally read outside of this genre. However, if I don't get around to reading your story it certainly isn't that I don't want to, it's simply due to a lack of time.

My best advice to you is this, if you want to be an author, you'll know in one simple way if you'll make it or not. If you sit down to write and it brings you joy no matter if anyone ever sees that story or not. Praise from the outside is a wonderful thing, but you have to write for yourself. I wish you all the luck in the world.

Karla: WHAT!? You believed that?! I mean.............., I simply felt that needed to be clarified a bit.

Yeah. You're my favorite new trouble-maker. I had one before (won't say who), who I think use to strive every week to see if she could paint me into a corner or not. Man! I love that! Keeps me on my toes.

But it's anguish! I'm allowed to make things rough on the characters, aren't I? *Pages through her copy of the Fanfiction handbook, then holds it up proudly, pointing to page.* See? It's right here on page 615.

You read ALL of these things? Good Lord, either I have to start making my stories longer or definitely more interesting. People are starting to enjoy the Q&A more? Honestly, though, I'm glad you like the Q&A section.

Brazil!!!!!? I'm being read in Brazil!? WOW! (Oh, and sorry, but I don't think my book was sold in Brazil or any of my articles.)

I don't know about being 'a real writer'. I haven't published anything in a few years because I decided to go out and earn a living instead.

I wish I could tell you more about myself than I have, but it's serious law stuff if I do. Sorry. But my stuff out of fanfiction reads pretty much the same as it does here. An author really doesn't change her 'voice' based on what she's writing.

Thank you for a wonderful review, and if you can help me any on the 'child developmental' stuff, since you have kids (when they talk, when they walk, when they say their first dirty word), I'd be most appreciative.

And don't give up on the writing stuff. If you're meant to be a writer, you'll find writing very natural and unstoppable.

MKH: (Great! Another trouble-maker. Just what I need.)

O.K., why doesn't Sirius tell anyone anything. *Stares at the ceiling for a looooooooooooooooooong time.* No idea! Next question!

Seriously (no pun intended), first off, you have to look at the story a bit harder than I wrote it. There's a lot in-between the lines that didn't get spelled out. Sirius knows that Peter was the Potter's secretkeeper, but he isn't sure that Peter 'betrayed' them. For all he knows, Peter was captured and tortured by Voldemort for the information. Peter was, after all, their friend. Sirius isn't automatically going to think Peter betrayed them. Next, Sirius has no real idea he's being accused of anything more than kidnapping an infant (oh, and grand-theft-auto). I think in the last chapter was the first time it's been even remotely mentioned to him that he's under suspicion for James and Lily's murders, much less what happened at the Dursley's. Past that, does Sirius suspect Peter? Yes. Does Peter suspect as much? Yes. Is Peter laying low? Lower than stuff under rocks (Not much difference really.).

I hope that clears things up a little bit.

hi: Sirius has pneumonia. And a very nasty case of it to boot. Hence the coughing up of blood. 

Kiara O. Lawrence: The Beginning Of The End. Isn't that yours? *P.A.R. looks at her reading list.* Yup. Right after Lin-z's story. You're up next, dear. Threat, warning, or something to look forward to. Your choice.

Awwww, Wolf would never do that. *Pats Kiara on the shoulder.* Things'll get better, Dear. And just when they do, P.A.R. will review The Beginning Of The End and likely crush most of your dreams and aspirations. (Feeling better now?) You go ahead and ramble all you want in my reviews. Just think of me as the Dear Abby of the site.

Dumbledore's True Love: I am so glad you are enjoying your gold star, Dear.

Ohhhhhh, if Padfoot's Bone hadn't got the gold start this week.........! I wish you'd gone a little further with that, though. Yes! Dumbledore had James' invisibility cloak and his wand. Now, for all of those of you who have been hounding me about Dumbledore working with the ministry........WHERE do you suppose Remus got the cloak and the wand? (Now go away and leave me alone!)

Sirius can't transform into Padfoot. He's too sick. He got out by opening the lock with James' wand. Something that didn't require nearly as much magic or concentration as a full transfiguration on yourself.

suNnY GuRL: Really, really, really thank you!!! 

Sirius is one of my favorite character's too. I'll try to be nice to him.

Lotesse: Yup! MoM better beware.

I thought everyone liked mint!

Nope. No dementors at this point. But stories are always up for revision the week before they post. So 'never say never'.

No, no, no, Dear. Remus wasn't brainwashed. He just wasn't being given the chance to think things out. And every time he started to, the ministry started talking again and sorting things to look logical based on how they wanted poor Remus to see them. Remus only started to sort things out for himself when the ministry had what they wanted from him and left him alone.

I didn't know what else to call your mum.

Yeah, I've thought about changing the Sunday evenings thing to a Wednesday or so. It's purely selfish, you see. Posting Sunday night gives ME something to look forward to Monday mornings (reviews!).

Whisp!

How's it going, Whisp?

Knowing nothing about basketball, 'Suicides' do not sound like a good thing, Dear.

I'll review! I swear on a stack of Bibles! And I'm catholic!

Ummmmmm, wait until he NEARLY dies? That's a little too soon for the ministry. As far as they're concerned, why bother trying to cure him when the problem looks like it's going to take care of itself?

Sorry, looks like poor Sirius isn't going to get a trail again.

Actually, he is guilty. Grand-theft-auto.

Starlight: Every Sunday, as regularly as I can.

Kit: Well, I tend to do it as a legal document at the first chapter and forget it for the other chapters. My first chapter disclaimer is worded to cover all chapters of the story. Check it out at the first chapter. Past that, I just add it as the first thing I write when starting a story. Then my author's notes, then the first chapter heading. Or something that resembles that order. Does that help?

Oh, and congratulations at getting on.

Hayleyhedwig 11: I gotta ask. Is there some significance in the name? It's one of the more interesting ones I've come across and was just wondering.

Unfortunately, due to the restrains on my time, Family Relations, the sequel to Family Life, is beginning to look like a summer reader. Family Ties, the third part of the story arc, is likely coming out in the winter.

Zimmy Russell: Awwwwwww, I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Actually, that quote's darned good.

Actually, Dear, I've been looking at the sky for the past two days (Friday and Saturday), and I've seen a lot of dark. *P.A.R. smiles. Likes rainy days.*

The ministry knows Sirius is sick, but its sort of a 'why work at fixing a problem that's going to solve itself real soon'.

Jolt cola? Jolt Cola? P.A.R. has not seen any Jolt Cola!

Your Dad BLOCKED this site? WHY? This is such a great site.

That's all for now. 

Reviews are as of 02232002. As always, if I missed you, let me know. It's great for blackmail.

See you next week.


	9. Chapter Seven: And You Still Make House...

A/N: Well, here's a nice change. P.A.R. made a mistake and no one caught it but me. Actually, I haven't made one this big since Sirius lost his wand in Fever and it mysteriously turned up again in later chapters.

If you don't read the Q&A, you would have missed this. 

In last weeks Q&A I told Dumbledore's True Love that Sirius didn't turn into Padfoot to escape the ministry because he was too ill and couldn't transform. 

Anyone see a problem here?

How did Sirius get to Remus' house?

Also, P.A.R. is just pleased as she can be to announce that for the month she has been counting hits to her stories, she has logged in close to three thousand (for one month!). I'm thrilled beyond words. So, thankyouthankyouthankyou to all of you, those who review and those who do not, for reading my stories. Interest is truly the best incentive for a writer. (Although reviews get you answers.).

Anyway, on with the story.

Enjoy.

Chapter Seven: And You Still Make Housecalls

For the next three days Sirius did little but lay in his bed and sleep. Remus tried on several occasions to get him to eat something, most without any success. 

Coherency was a transient thing with Sirius. Though Remus was beginning to wonder if it wasn't also a bit selective, since the only time Sirius seemed to choose to show any was when Harry was there.

The morning after Sirius' arrival, Remus had called Dumbledore by fire. Worried and nervous, he explained the situation to the Headmaster in 'what if' terms. Something that seemed to amuse Dumbledore to no end as Remus stumbled over finding the right words without reveling too much. Over and over Remus had stuck to his belief in Sirius' innocence. In the end, Dumbledore had given Remus a small smile and had replied that, if all Remus supposed ever came to pass, he was quite sure that Remus would make the right decisions. And it was somewhat of a surprise to Remus when Dumbledore called back that night to inquire, if any of Remus' suppositions had come to pass, how he imagined things would be coming along right then.

The exchange of calls continued over the next two days, with Dumbledore checking in two to three times a day on 'how things might be coming along'. Remus always strived to keep things as understandable but vague as possible. But by the third day, Remus was too worried about his friend when he called the Headmaster to splice words.

"I'm getting worried, Albus." Remus told the Headmaster as Dumbledore's head stared up at him from the fire on the fourth day, all pretenses gone under Remus' mounting worries. Though he still held to never using Sirius' name in case the fire was 'tapped'. "He does nothing but cough. He hardly eats. And the only thing he shows even the remotest interest in is Harry."

"How is Harry doing?"

"He hasn't gotten sick yet. I was quite concerned at first, having been around him for so long that Harry might get ill as well. But he says he kept a ton of protection charms on him to make sure Harry never caught what he's got."

"It does seem that he took exceptional care of the baby."

A rasping cough echoed down the stairs.

Remus turned to it for a moment. "He's getting worse, Albus." Remus stated quietly as he turned back to the Headmaster, his expression now quite grave. "I'm going to have to call a doctor."

"Is that wise, Remus?"

"It's necessary. And besides, I think I know someone we can trust. I've known the man for years."

"Well, you do what you think is best. Keep me informed."

Remus nodded as the fire flared up and the head disappeared. Sitting for a few moments staring at the merrily dancing flames, Remus finally threw a handful of powder into them.

"Dr. Aaron Richards." He stated as the flames flared up again.

A soft knock sounded on Remus' door late in the afternoon. A hacking cough followed Remus down the stairs as he made his way to the door.

Remus never thought he would be so happy to see a doctor in his life as when he opened the door to the short, balding little man who was Aaron Richards, M.D..

"Aaron." Remus greeted him as he ushered the man inside and took his coat for him. "It was good of you to come so quickly."

"Not at all." Aaron replied. "Good of you to think of your old friend when you needed a doctor. Not just go running off to any old quack."

"Well, I wanted a quack I knew." Remus replied with a tired smile. "And besides, you make housecalls."

The man gave Remus a pat on the shoulder. "Well, you sounded like you had quite a situation here, Remus, old man." He stated with jovial smile.

A loud wail sounded from upstairs. 

The doctor turned to the sound with a slight laugh. "That would be Harry then?"

"If it's not then your second patient is a lot worse off than I thought."

"Well, why don't I have a brief look at the little tot first. Then we'll see how your house guest is getting on."

Dr. Richards took several minutes looking Harry over as he flicked his wand over the baby here and there, mutter to himself the whole time.

For his part in the exam, Harry sat trying to grab the polish stick every time it came within reach.

"Good reflexes." Dr. Richards commented as Harry almost got hold of his target.

"Good lungs too." Remus muttered behind him.

"Babies will cry, Remus." Dr. Richards replied. "It's what they do best. And I'm happy to declare this one as fit as a fiddle. You've been doing an admirable job of taking care of him." He turned and gave Remus a curious look as Harry happily grabbed the wand as it lowered to within his reach. "How did you ever come to have this child anyway, Remus? I mean, this is James and Lily Potter's son, isn't it? Gimme that!" 

Harry did his best to hold onto the wand as Dr. Richards pulled it quickly out of his grasp.

At the abrupt loss of his new toy, Harry started to cry.

"That's actually a very long story." Remus replied as he glanced over to see what Harry was crying for. "Perhaps I'll tell you after you see your next patient."

"Ah, yes. Been quite mysterious about that one, Remus." Dr. Richards said as Remus placed Harry back in his playpen and handed him a toy wand. Harry immediately stopped his crying and happily began tapping the toy wand on the rim of the playpen.

"There's really not much to tell." Remus answered as he led Dr. Richards out of Harry's room and down the hallway. "He showed up a few days ago with a cough and a high fever. Both of which have gotten steadily worse."

Remus led the doctor into Sirius' room with a silent prayer the man hadn't seen any news reports or Daily Prophets in the past few days. But not too much to his surprise, Dr. Richards stopped short at the door to the room as his gaze fell on the figure in the bed.

"Merlin's Beard! That's Sirius Black!" The man quickly turned to Remus. "Remus Lupin! Have you completely lost your mind? This man is wanted by the ministry."

"For questioning." Remus put in quickly. "Sirius hasn't been accused of anything."

"That's hardly how it sounded in the paper."

"And the ministry isn't being any less single minded, Aaron." Remus stated. "They've already tried and convicted him of something he didn't do. The man is completely innocent."

"Do you have any idea what the ministry will do if they find him here, Remus? Have you ever been in a jail? In Azkaban? How well do you think a werewolf would fair there once they find out?"

"The man is my best friend, Aaron." Remus replied in a flat, but stern voice. "I have no intention of abandoning him to those vultures at the ministry."

"He's a wanted man, Remus."

"And currently a very sick one."

Dr. Richards turned back to the man on the bed. If nothing else was true, the man certainly wasn't well. One didn't have to be a doctor to see that. His face was pale and drawn and his hair was wet with sweat. Through out the entire exchange the man had shown no interest that there was anyone else in the room or that he was the topic of conversation. Instead he lay huddled in the bed, clutching the sheets to him, sounding like he was fighting for every breath he took.

Deciding to worry about politics later, Dr. Richards sat his bag on the floor by the bed and pulled out a standard piece of parchment, which he hung over the bed.

"How long has he been here?" He asked, not looking up from the bed.

Remus looked up at the man, but didn't answer the question.

"I need to know how long he's been ill, Remus." Dr. Richards explained.

"I met him in an alley a few days ago." Remus answered finally. "He was coughing then. He hardly looked conscious, in fact. The next time I saw him was in the ministry jail. He looked a bit more lucid then. Said they had a doctor come who gave him some potion that seemed to help a bit. Since he's been here he's been sort of in and out. At times he seems lucid enough. Other times, he's like he is now. He doesn't even know you're in the room."

Dr. Richards stared at the parchment as the writing quickly scribbled over it, listing various bits of medical information about the patient. Finally he pulled out his wand again and performed several of the same spells he had with Harry before turning back to Remus. His expression very solemn.

"This man is extremely ill, Remus. He needs to be in a hospital."

"I can't do that, Aaron." Remus replied. "Everyone knows his face. They'll recognize him as fast as you did."

"It wasn't a suggestion, Remus."

"Nor is it an option."

Dr. Richards looked a little exasperated at his friend. "Do you understand?" He asked. "The man could die without proper care, Remus. He has a full-blown case of pneumonia, he's dehydrated, malnourished, running a fever, and I haven't even started to run half the test on him I'd like too. He needs to be taken to the hospital."

"If he goes to the hospital and they recognize him and report it to the ministry, he'll go straight to Azkaban, Aaron. How long do you think he'll last there? Certainly not to any trail, if he even gets one."

"Gets one?"

"The ministry thinks he's insane. Completely deranged. They don't see the point in trying a man who can't help them convict him."

"Remus, this man may have killed your best friend and his wife. Possibly tried to kill that little boy back there. How can you stand there and defend him?"

Just then a loud wail echoed down the hall. But Remus stood staring at Dr. Richards as though he hadn't heard it. But after a few seconds he held a finger up. 

"Just a minute and I'll show you." He replied.

Remus disappeared out the door, then reappeared a few seconds later with Harry in his arms. Almost on cue, as soon as he saw his godfather laying in the bed, Harry began to struggle in Remus grip and reached out his arms to Sirius.

"Paf!" Harry cried. "Paf, Paf, Paf."

Remus restrained Harry as he turned back to Dr. Richards. "That's how." He replied firmly. "Sirius had Harry with him for months. Away from everyone and completely hidden. If he had wanted to hurt the boy, he had months worth of opportunity and no one would have ever known." Remus finally gave up restraining Harry and placed him on the foot of the bed, where the child made a bee-line for his godfather and promptly began crawling over him. "Now," Remus continued, turning back to the doctor, "is that a child afraid of his worst enemy?"

Dr. Richards watched as Harry grabbed a handful of Sirius' hair and gave it a firm yank, eliciting the slightest response from Sirius as he turned his head slightly.

"Sirius did everything in his power to protect that child for months. He fed him, took care of him, and looked after him. And when he knew he couldn't do it anymore, he turned Harry over to me, the one person he still trusted. And nothing in this world will ever convince me Sirius had anything to do with James and Lily's deaths."

Dr. Richards turned back to his friend. "That's because you inherently look for the good in people, Remus. You want to see your friend as innocent, so you arrange things to suit that scenario. But perhaps its all been nothing more than Black playing the part he had to to gain your sympathy. The one person he could still depend on for that. He's ill. He needs help. Who better to start trying to convince your harmless than your best friend?"

"Then he's been planning for a very long time, Aaron. As I said, he had Harry for months and never harmed him. The child is absolutely attached to Sirius. The hardest time I have with him is when I won't let him see Sirius." Remus turned back to the bed where Harry was now contentedly playing with a patch of Sirius' hair. "If I want him happy and quiet, I just leave him with Sirius and that's what I get. Hardly the reaction of a child afraid of someone."

"And maybe all Sirius wanted out of this was Harry."

Remus looked shocked. "You're not serious?" He stated. "You think Sirius would kill James and Lily to get Harry? No offense, Aaron, but that's insane. This is Sirius, we're talking about. Mr. Sirius 'I'll-never-marry-and-have-no-kids-tying-me-down' Black. Sirius never wanted children, Aaron. He wanted life to remain one big, long adventure and only saw kids getting in the way of that."

"I think the key word in all that was 'insane', Remus. And that's what the ministry thinks Sirius is."

"He's not insane, Aaron. He's been as lucid at times as you or me. In fact, I have yet to see him do one deranged thing."

"Blowing up the muggle's house doesn't qualify then, I take it?"

"And there's no proof what-so-ever Sirius had anything to do with that."

"Just a handful of muggles seeing him leave the house."

Remus looked quizzically at his friend. "No one saw Sirius leave the Dursleys'. Where did you hear that?"

"It was in the paper." Dr. Richards replied. "Ministry spokesperson reported it."

"There." Remus stated angrily. "You see? They've tried and convicted him already. Fabricating whatever evidence they need. No one saw Sirius leave the Dursley's. Not even the muggles themselves. They were running down the street at the time."

Dr. Richards sighed to himself. "I still say you're seeing one side of this, Remus, and refusing to take things into account."

"I think I'm taking things into account just fine, Aaron." Remus replied as he turned to see what Harry was up to.

Harry was happily giggling as he sat on the bed, blissfully playing with his godfather's hair. All of which Sirius seemed oblivious to as he gave another hacking cough.

Aaron sighed quietly as he followed Remus' stare. For several minutes he watched the child continue in his happy pass-time.

"None of this changes the fact that the man is deathly ill, Remus. He needs to be in a hospital."

"Can't I do what needs to be done here?"

Aaron thought for a moment. "I can leave a few potions. Some anti-biotics. And I'll make out of list of routine care." Aaron turned back to his friend. "But if he doesn't show some improvement in the next few days, Remus, he has got to be taken to a hospital. You understand?"

Remus nodded slightly.

Aaron pulled a notepad out of his bag and began writing things down for Remus. "Oh, and I'm recommending limited contact between Black and that baby. As sick as he is, the charms may not hold out much longer. And if that little baby gets sick, he'll be in for a very rough time. And don't try to recast any of them. If they were failing, I want to know so I can begin treating Harry right away just in case."

Remus nodded again as he went and retrieved Harry off the bed. An angry cry protested Remus' action as he extracted strands of hair from between Harry's tiny fingers as he pulled the baby away from his godfather. The cries continued for several more seconds, but then abruptly stopped.

Remus settled Harry in his arms as he studied the now silent child in amazement. Two saucer-wide green eyes were staring at the inert figure on the bed. 'Stunned' was the word Remus would have given the baby's expression.

As Remus began to take him from the room, Harry let out another loud cry and reached again for his godfather. But when the figure on the bed didn't respond, the baby grew quiet again, staring at him with a look of confusion. But slowly the two large eyes began to fill with tears that quickly brimmed over and rolled down Harry's cheeks as he turned those eyes now to Remus.

Remus tried to comfort the child, who did his best to stay as still as possible.

"Never seen a child get so quiet so fast." Aaron commented as they stepped from the room.

"He's probably frightened." Remus replied, still trying to coax a reaction from a completely passive Harry. "That's was probably the first time that Sirius didn't answer his call. And he doesn't understand why. All he knows is he's with strangers again, and so he's reacting the way he remembers to act with others."

"By doing nothing?"

"By being quiet." Remus stated a bit harsher than he intended. "The people who had Harry before Sirius would frighten the child into silence whenever he made any noise. When he lived with those people he hardly ever cried or even moved. The child was petrified of everything and everyone.... except, it seemed, Sirius."

When Remus returned from putting Harry down, Aaron had a row of bottles set up on the night stand and a piece of parchment in his hand.

"You'll need to follow the instructions exactly." Aaron said as Remus looked over the parchment. "And the medicine has to be delivered every day, at the same time. I'll give him a shot before I leave, and I'll be back tonight to see how he's doing and check back again in the morning. All right?"

Remus glanced up at his friend. "Aaron, you're not going to tell anyone, are you?"  
The doctor stared for a moment at the man in the bed. "To tell you the truth, Remus," He said quietly, "I really haven't decided what to do. I can't shake the feeling you letting friendship blind you here. I'll help the man as best I can to get better. As you said, as he is, he wouldn't last out the day in Azkaban. But in the end, I'll do what I feel I have to."

Remus saw his friend to the door as watched as he went to the end of the drive and disapparated. He felt more than anything Aaron's parting words were more of a warning than anything. That his own doubts about the situation would eventually lead him to do what most of the rest of the general public would likely do under similar circumstances. Report Sirius to the ministry, who would most certainly take him straight to Azkaban.

That was the one thing Remus couldn't let happen.

Q&A

You remember. Your fun. My fun. That stuff.

Dumbledore's True Love: No, no, no!!!!!!!!! Not to be changing names on P.A.R.!!!!!!! It is very confusing for old people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Awwwww. Give poor Remus a break. The man was probably just minutes away from a nervous breakdown at that point. So yes, he just said the first thing that came into his mind. I mean, it wouldn't have looked very good if someone was watching to have the man standing there in the rain trying to think of the name of his dog, would it? (How could you NOT forgive Remus just about anything?)

I warned you it was a cute chapter.

O.K., little secret here. P.A.R. has issues with the 'twinkle' thing. Mainly, everybody uses it. So it is close to never that you will ever see it in one of my stories. Just a 'me' thing.

I don't think I need to give any hints to which side Dumbledore is on. I don't do the 'evil' Dumbledore thing either.

Ummmmm, yeah, phlegm is just another word for ummmmm.....ahhh, you know. The other stuff. 

HA! Nice try. No way am I telling you my age. Besides, I think I've given you enough to place it fairly close. I already told you in my bio. page I'm older then the combined age of just about any two of you, and in one of my Q&A's I said I've been writing for close to three decades (if not over that). Do the math. What does it tell you? I AM OLD, PEOPLE!

Besides, I'm female. And females never tell their age.

Actually, I haven't really had a birthday since my twenty-fifth birthday. But I have celebrated a lot of anniversaries of that one.

I'm sure Whisp is a lot of fun to co-write a story with. P.A.R. just isn't a real fan of co-writing. Had some bad experiences with that.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, one sitting? P.A.R. is impressed. Didn't feel much like sleeping that weekend?

Actually, of the chapters of Family Life, I think Chapter Eleven (Facts Of Life....), will probably always be my favorite because it was the original chapter of that story and was therefore my first fanfiction piece.

Now, now, CHILDREN! There will be no fighting over gold stars! (Actually, I'm very impressed you got a plaque for yours.)

Cute quotes, by the way.

Padfoot's Bone: Of course it's shiny! P.A.R. doesn't give away just any old imaginary gold star. She gives the best!

Again, you were warned. It was a disgustingly cute chapter. Got one more of those, by the way.

About Family Life, again, thank you for the wonderful reviews. You just make P.A.R.'s day. I know you went further than Chapter Thirty, but I don't have those reviews in front of me, so they will have to wait until next week, although I remember you said some nice things about Analisa. Thank you.

Orion Black is without a doubt a very intriguing character. And yes, Sirius and Orion's relationship is explored a good deal more in depth in Family Relations, Family Life's sequel. And Rowling has actually said, by the way, that she has Sirius' history plotted out.

Sirius' relationship with Orion currently (as of Family Life) is....tense. But I got some questions on that because at the end of Fever, the person Sirius leaves Harry in the custody of should something happen to him, was Orion. And that's where things started to get confusing.

In Family Life, Sirius would hardly mention his brother. But in Fever he talked about him like he was...well, family. The reason for the confusion was that Family Life and Fever are not related stories. One has nothing to do with the other witht he exception of the last chapter of Fever. The fact that Sirius signed Orion as Harry's legal guardian in the event something happened to him figures prominently in Family Relations.

In Family Life, Sirius indeed does not like Orion. And there are several reasons. At Hogwart's, Sirius and Orion had a very nasty falling out. Can't tell you why because it figures into Family Relations. Also (you'll get this more in depth in Family Relations, but here's a sneak peek), when Sirius escaped Azkaban, the first place he went was to his family home, where Orion was living. Soon after Sirius showed up, so did the ministry. Now Sirius at the time was a bit.....hostile to everyone and everything. So the only way for Orion to keep him still and keep him quiet at the time the ministry was there was to immobilize him and gag him. This didn't go over very well with Sirius, who, soon after the ministry left, did likewise. Sirius and Orion did sort of patch things up after that, but Sirius is still a bit burned that Orion never offered once to help him while he was on the run from the ministry. But the reasons for that come out in Family Relations. So I'll stop there.

Oh, Sirius also has some very strong issues with his brother's.......better half? The story behind that is in Enemies, which I hope to post next.

Sirius and Arabella's relationship at Hogwart's was not as idealistic as it sounds in Family Life. They had their problems. I mean, consider Sirius' reputation as most people write it.

Yes, that was what Harry was going to say. Thank you for catching that. I'm sure more people did, but no one said so.

If you're going to insult Snape's 'art', you'd best come prepared.

Alexa Black: *P.A.R. stands and frowns.* Exactly what are you people trying to make me responsible for here? You squirt yourself, you know what that would do to P.A.R.? It would give her one less review each week!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bad people threatening to squirt themselves! Have some CONSIDERATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You betcha it's far from over.

Apassov: *Sigh.* Great. Just what I need. Now I got doctors reading me. Don't you people have a waiting room full of sick people or somethin'?

Actually, Sirius only had Harry about two to three months on his own, and he got sick during the time he had Harry. TB takes much longer to show that that. Especially if it was advanced to the stages of the symptoms Sirius is showing.

Me: I gave you a gold star and you were going to FLAME ME?????!!!!!!! Humph! And yes, I would care. I take my reviews quite seriously. And in the combined total of nearly three thousands hits to my stories, I have yet to be flamed. *P.A.R. smiles proudly.* Oh, unless you count the one that threatened to kill me. I guess that might have been a flame.

I must have been attending school in the dark ages I guess. When I went, tests and exams were the same thing. Unless by exams you mean those things the government gives to try and fool people into thinking they're actually trying to improve our public school system.

Oh, dear, this is a tough one to explain. No, Sirus made it to Remus' by himself. No help from anyone (minus one invisibility cloak and one wand). However, I'm very happy to hear SOMEONE mention that they realized there was a lot more going on in the conversation between Remus and Dumbledore than met the eye. First off, Dumbledore wasn't 'warning' Remus Sirius had escaped, he was telling him. Second, he suggested he was telling him that night because he didn't want him reading it for the first time in the morning paper, but he actually figured Remus needed to know as soon as possible so he would be waiting for Sirius' arrival. He asked Remus if Sirius had said anything that indicated he was thinking about escape, saying Remus was the last person to see Sirius before he escaped that night. Two reasons for that statement. One, Dumbledore was letting Remus know he knew he had something to do with Sirius' escape, and two, the ministry is probably thinking so too. Dumbledore asked Remus if he wanted to bring Harry to the castle for safety. (He wanted to know if Remus was worried about Sirius coming there, which he obviously wasn't.). Also, Dumbledore wasn't telling Remus about the ministry watching the house in case he was shocked in seeing someone outside, he was warning him about it. And finally, Dumbledore left the door open in case Remus needed help.

Now, did Remus catch on to any of that? You'll see.

So, dang it! Slap that plate on the table and get out that fork and knife! You won another gold star for catching onto that conversation being more than it was. (Bon Appite!) 

Oh. Sorry. Almost forgot. Here you go. (*).

Uh-huh! EVERY chapter, buddy boy! (We don't give them imaginary gold stars for nothin', ya' know!)

You obviously have not heard, Dear. But life isn't fair.

What is this place you go to in the summer? A cabin in the woods? Do you have to fetch water from the stream?

But sorry, yes, Family Relations, the sequel to Family Life, is looking more and more like a summer reader.

Taracollowen: I have an assignment for you. Go read Dumbledore's True Love's answer. Just like the first two lines. I'll wait.

Back already? O.K.. So I don't have to go through that again.

Anyway, I LOVE that people actually look FORWARD to this. Boggles the mind, but hey! Works for me.

Harry is indeed very cute if you follow general consensus on the matter. For me, it's simply a matter of less dialogue to type.

Zimmy Russell:

Still no Jolt. Just wanted to get that out of the way.

I don't know how much math or geometry I use in my stories, but knowing something about it did help when I was writing Science Fiction. But forget about writing, Dear. I find it pretty darned useful just to get through LIFE. So, yeah, keeping working on it. It's sort of important. You may not see it now, but trust me, it sneaks up on you in the weirdest places.

Dumbledore knows Sirius isn't deranged? What do you think? And if you're still confused, go read Me's answer, and, if you're still confused, ask again next chapter.

Great! Another person who can't handle suspense. Why do you people even pick up books?

Hey! You know Whisp?!

The ministry wasn't expecting that? The ministry isn't expecting the sun to rise tomorrow. But that's just them.

Remus isn't sure what's wrong with Sirius and he ain't no doctor.

Phlegm again, huh? O.K., go read Dumbledore's True Love's answer. IF you're still confused....ya' ever have a REALLY bad cold? Do you remember what you used the klennex for? Does P.A.R. need to go on here?

Yeah, yeah. Every now and then P.A.R. does cute. Just don't spread it around, will you? I have a reputation to maintain.

An honor? *P.A.R. laughs.* Boy, do I have you fooled. P.A.R. is not a nice reviewer.

Everybody's reading all the Q&A's. Man, I should stop writing stories and just do Q&A's. There's gotta be money in that.

LauraBlade: Ahhhh! Finally! Someone who I kept in suspense, but who THANKS me for it.

Thank you! Hope you liked the new chapter.

Kiara O. Lawrence: Ummmmm, yeah. I've seen the 'Hey! That looks familiar!' scenario played out a few times myself. But I look at this way. Some of those stories have actually been pretty good. And if some little fledgling writer grabs that first spark of inspiration from one of my stories and says, 'well, that was nice, but I think I could have done better', and rewrites it with a different ending or something, I'll just have to take them out back and throttl..........I mean, I'm honored if I started another writer's soul on the road to authorship.

No. Honestly. Look at what I'm doing here. Face it people, fanfiction is a form of plagiarism. However, J.K. Rowling has been kind enough to put up with those of us who gain inspiration from working with her characters. Who am I to gripe about someone doing the same to me? 

Insulted? 

No. I'm honored.

And thank you for a lovely review. P.A.R.'s ego got stroked so much, it's purring.

Nicky: Nicky? Nicky? I don't remember seeing a 'Nicky' review of Family Life. Hmmmmm.

Personally, I think Sirius would make an outstanding father.

Once again, no, no, people. P.A.R. does not (currently) write slash. No need to worry in any of my current stories. No slash warnings.

vmr: Well, I couldn't leave him in jail forever. Not much of a story there. And thank you.

Starlight: Are you the Starlight of One Time Thing...... fame, by the way? If so, I have SO been plugging your story!

Anyway, thank you. I try to keep everybody as in-character as I can.

Voltora: Yah! You found the Thesaurus!

Finally, someone who isn't too upset about the once a week thing. I can sympathize witht he too little time thing, Dear. It's the reason you only get chapters once a week, and I'm usually struggling to make that.

Semmel: Yes, the combination is usually too cute for words. But for me it usually just adds up to a lot less dialogue.

Whisp: Ohhhhh, now THAT doesn't sound like fun at all. *P.A.R runs back to her swamp, where she's happy.*

When did I say Harry never gets sick?

As to Dumbledore, go read Me's answer. That should clear up most Dumbledore questions, as should this chapter have.

Abbsiegail: Hope you're feeling better. Being sick is the pits. At home. At work. Wherever. But thanks for using your last bits of energy to crawl to the computer and typing out the review.

Kat: As always, who am I to try and shame someone for not reviewing? Oh, yeah. P.A.R.'s not guilty of that?

Yes, for the moment Sirius is safe. But the ministry is out looking for him.

Black Sparkles: I'm glad you like suspense, Dear. If you didn't, you have no business reading this story.

Now, again, how can I answer that without making the story really redundant?

MKH: a.k.a. Troublemaker!

Actually, I was sure you'd be the one to catch the continuity error mentioned in the author's notes. HA!

Anyway, Remus broke Sirius' animagus form because he was so sick. And where as Remus doesn't have much medical experience to draw on to treat a human being, he has probably even less on how to treat a dog.

I don't know about the Aurors having invisibility cloaks thing. My impression fromt he books was that they were fairly rare, fairly expensive, and Aurors are paid like police officers.

I'll give you the broomstick thing if you give me Remus keeping the shades drawn on the upstairs rooms and we'll work it out from there.

Also, Remus' house, remember, is protected by wards much as the Dursley's was. My guess is one of those would have signaled someone trying to get past the wards with an invisibility cloak.

Silverfox: You don't like Black? I thought good old Sirius was like mint. (Everyone likes mint.)

The film studio people have strongly suggested that the fourth book will be released in two parts so that as little as possible has to be taken out. Part one is suppose to be released in November, and part two in December. But that is, after all, still nearly three years away and movie studio executives have been known to change their minds in a lot less time than that.

Karla: A teacher as well! P.A.R. is honored you are taking the time to read her story!

Why did I skip over Sirius' escape from the ministry? Two reasons. One, it was fairly uneventful (trust me on that one). And two, time.

Actually, Remus is just trying to keep things going right now. I mean, consider all the poor man has been through. First he's confronted with the possibility that his friend is a murderer, then an arsonist, or at the least a deranged lunatic (Is that redundant?). Next, he's being jerked around by the ministry, and, after helping them put his friend in jail, finds out he was being jerked around by them, suddenly has a small baby to care for, and is now an accomplice in a jail break. What's wrong with him? Quite frankly, why he hasn't had a nervous breakdown yet I think is amazing (But it didn't work into the plot too well either.).

But he did get him a doctor. Give him some credit. Or at least a good scratch behind the ears.

Fanfiction Writers Handbook, p546, Paragraph 8, Subsection 9: Mean writers are allowed to abuse characters.

And I'm not abusing him! I got him a doctor!

By the way, where did the 'impedimenta cursed Remus' come in? I missed that. And I'm writing this thing.

Yeah, yeah. I know. I have a slight continuity problem with Harry's age. But P.A.R. tries to stay away from children (for her sake and theirs) and so I don't have a lot of experience with how a child that is as old as Harry is SUPPOSE to be would act. So you have to give me some lead-way here and go with the idea Harry is younger than you would think based on the canon of the books.

That's all for now. Reviews, excluding those outside of this story, are as of 03022002. If I missed you, I'm sorry. Let me know. Check is in the mail.

See you next week (I hope). 


	10. Chapter Eight Decisions

A/N: HONESTLY!!!

Talk about your classic guilty until proven innocent!

Poor Dr. Aaron Richards. The man comes to help and he's accused of everything from being a spy for the ministry, to a traitor, to a Deatheater. And the poor man hasn't even DONE anything!

NOW! Let me ask you people a question. And I want you to THINK about it. All right?

WHY do you think Dr. Richards is so interested in a person who was supposedly nothing more than a former patient? Hmmmm? Work on that for me. You'll get your answer in a few chapters. (And kindly remember, I do NOT write slash....yet.).

Anyway. Thank you to all the people who reviewed as always. I want you each to know how very much I appreciate hearing from you and the fun I get in answering questions. Don't ask me why. I just do.

Now, a bit of bad news. The Bonds That Tie, I believe, is better than half way done, or darned close. As I said, all the stories I post are done, just subject to constant revisions. Now, that wasn't the bad news. It was just leading up to it.

The bad news is that once The Bonds That Tie is done, P.A.R. is going to take a short vacation from Fanfiction.Net. Actually, it's a working vacation. 

You see, I've discovered that I simply can not work on one story while posting another. It simply takes too much time. So I'll be taking some time off after this story to work on some others. The good news is when I come back I'll have stories to post for a long time coming. I'll be finishing Enemies (Tentative Working Title), Family Relations, and Family Ties (the two sequels to Family Life), hopefully finish Reputation, and a little Snape/Lupin story I'm working on. I may post a few one shots while on vacation. We'll see. So, how long will this vacation be? Depends. It took me nearly six months to finish Family Life, but it was 49 chapters long. I don't plan on any of these others being that long. Just depends on where my ideas take me I guess.

I won't be gone for six months. Don't get me wrong. But I will likely be gone for two or three months while I work on other projects.

I'll keep in touch, mind you. I'll do some promised reviewing so you know I haven't just disappeared. But, I just wanted to warn you so there weren't any nasty little surprises down the road......and while I was thinking of it.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

On with the story.

Enjoy. 

  
Chapter Eight: Decisions 

Remus stood staring at the closed door for some time. A frightening coldness had settled on him the moment Aaron Richards had left. His thoughts were racing about as a hundred different possibilities began presenting themselves as to what was likely to happen next. He knew he had had no choice in calling the doctor. Sirius was ill. He had needed help. But Remus had no idea what Aaron was likely to do next. What if he went to the ministry? What if they came there and found Sirius? They would take him to Azkaban. No doubt about that. Nor was there any doubt how long Sirius would last there.

But he had had no choice.

Remus tried shaking the thought from his mind. Aaron had said he would think about things. He wouldn't go to the ministry without saying something to Remus. He wouldn't lead them there and let them ambush him. Aaron was his friend.

Remus shuttered at the thought. He had been Sirius' friend as well. But hadn't an ambush been exactly what he had led Sirius into?

But he hadn't known, he consoled himself. The ministry had lied to him.

Couldn't they just as easily lie to Aaron then? 

Remus tried to calm his frantic thoughts by busying himself with something else. He forced himself into his small, cozy kitchen and opened one of the cabinets. A line of baby food jars now sat on one of the shelves, along side of formula, baby biscuits, and assorted treats. Remus pondered over what to give Harry for lunch. It was a learning experience for him in discovering the baby's likes and dislikes. And the lesson wasn't always pleasant. The day before he had inadvertently tried to give Harry something definitely under the 'dislike' category. 

Remus had spent a good portion of the evening cleaning the stuff out of his rug.

Finally selecting a jar of something gray that claimed on the label to be turkey, Remus set it on the table and went to get Harry.

On the way Remus stopped by Sirius' room to check on him and see if he wanted anything to eat or drink. He was pleased to see a pair of glazed, but open eyes peer up at him as he sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Welcome back?" Remus asked, trying his best to sound cheerful.

Sirius moaned softly, which gave way to a coughing spell. 

Remus had noticed over the past day that Sirius' coughing spells weren't coming as frequently and they didn't last as long or seem to do much good to improve his breathing. None of which Remus took as a good sign, and most of which Aaron had confirmed for him. He had told Remus Sirius simply didn't have the strength to clear the congestion out of his lungs anymore and that it was starting to build up now, making breathing harder and harder for Sirius.

Remus brushed a bit of damp hair back from Sirius' face as Sirius closed his eyes again.

"I had a friend come to see you, Sirius." He told him. "Do you remember that?"

Sirius opened his eyes again and barely shook his head.

"I didn't think you would. You seemed pretty out of it. You didn't even respond to Harry nearly snatching you bald."

Sirius gave a weak smile. But it was met by Remus serious expression.

"This friend of mine, Sirius, was a doctor."

"You shouldn't have brought anyone here." Sirius rasped out. "They'll accuse you....."

"Aaron won't say anything, Sirius." Remus sounded as convincing as he could. "And you needed a doctor."

Sirius stared up at his old friend with a bit more focus in his stare.

"I'm really sick, aren't I, Moony?" He asked quietly.

Remus sighed quietly to himself. "Aaron said that you have pneumonia, Sirius. But he left some medicine for you to take. You'll be fine."

Sirius pulled the cover up closer to his chin as his body shook slightly. 

"It's cold in here."

"I'll get you another blanket." Remus offered as he laid a hand on Sirius' forehead. He was still burning up with fever, despite his claim to being cold. 

Remus left to get another blanket and returned a few minutes later with one blanket and three extra pillows. He placed the blanket halfway up the bed, then helped Sirius sit up as he stuffed the extra pillows behind him. Aaron had suggested that keeping Sirius' upper body propped up might help him breath a little easier. But all his efforts earned Remus was a fair amount of grumbling from Sirius.

"I'm getting ready to feed Harry lunch." Remus stated after he managed to get Sirius as comfortable as he could in his new position. "Do you want anything?"

"How is he?" Sirius asked, a bit more focused now. Propping him up definitely seemed to have improved his condition, no matter how slight.

"Harry's doing fine, Sirius. Aaron even looked him over and pronounced him a happy, healthy child." Remus smiled down at his friend. "You did a wonderful job taking care of him."

Sirius smiled slightly at the news, but frowned at Remus' declaration.

"Well, I think so. Now, time for lunch. What do you want?"

"Harry."

Remus shook his head. "He'll never fit in the oven. Choose something else."

Sirius managed another small smile. "Idiot." He rasped out. "I want to see him."

"After lunch. How about some soup? Do you a world of good."

Sirius shook his head. "Not hungry."

"Well," Remus turned to the bottles lined up on the table, "hungry or not, you're taking at least three of these. So, water or juice?"

Sirius turned his head slightly as he studied the assortment of bottles, all sitting neatly lined up along the nightstand. He frowned up at Remus as he turned back to him. "Juice." He grumbled.

"Good boy." Remus answered with a pleased smile. "Now, stay put while I go and get it."

Sirius sighed quietly as he settled back in the bed. A few minutes later he opened his eyes again to find Remus coming back into the room holding a glass of juice and Harry.

Sirius' face lit up immediately at the sight of his godson. But Remus sat him on the chair by the bed.

"Oh, no. First the pills. If you're very good," Remus continued as though he were talking to a five year old, "and you show Harry how a grown-up takes his medicine, I'll feed him up here and you can watch. Otherwise, it's downstairs in the kitchen and you can sit up here by yourself and stare at the walls instead."

Sirius took each pill in turn without so much as a word of protest, his stare fixed on Harry, who was contemplating the ornamental pillow in the chair where Remus had sat him. Currently he was considering if it tasted good.

When Sirius finished, Remus picked Harry up and seated himself in the chair.

"All right. Deals a deal." Remus stated. "You did your part, so you get to see if Harry likes lunch." 

As he settled the baby in his lap, Remus produced a jar of food and a spoon from his robe pockets. Harry made the connection in an instant as he quickly grabbed for the jar and yanked it towards his mouth.

"Haven't you been feeding my godson?" Sirius grumbled, trying to suppress a cough.

"Your godson," Remus protested, pulling the jar free from the pair of tiny hands, "Give me that!...has been eating me out of house and home. I swear this kid must have gained ten pounds in the few days he's been here."

"Good." Sirius rasped.

Remus dug into the small jar and came out with a spoonful of the gray concoction. Harry already had his mouth open and was reaching for the spoon.

"What is it?" Sirius asked.

"Label swears it's turkey." Remus answered as he followed the baby's guiding of the spoon into his mouth. "I have my own ideas on the matter." 

Both men waited patiently for the child's declaration as Harry seemed to mull over his decision. But finally, after what seemed like much thought on the matter, he quickly opened his mouth again.

"Well, look at that, Sirius." Remus declared. "Your godson's taste-buds have been thoroughly killed by whatever you were feeding him all those months." Remus shook his head. "Harry, this stuff is no good for you. Don't you know any better?"

"How would you know?" Sirius asked.

Remus gave him a defiant stare. "How would you? Have you ever tried it?"

"Have you?"

Harry suddenly wailed, waving his arms about as he grabbed at the spoon.

"All right. All right." Remus quickly dug into the jar for another spoonful. "Merlin's Beard. He certainly has James' appetite."

Sirius simply smiled slightly as he watched Harry again drag the spoonful of food to his mouth.

Two jars of baby food, a bottle of milk, and nearly an hour later, Remus finally settled back in the chair with an exhausted sigh of relief. On the bed in front of him, Harry lay contentedly curled up next to his godfather, who was watching Remus with a bemused sort of smile.

"Tired?" Sirius rasp out.

Remus opened his eyes. "I never knew just feeding a baby could be so much work."

Of course, feeding Harry would likely have gone much smoother and not taken nearly so long if Sirius hadn't been encouraging him that throwing food was a good idea. Nor was Sirius returning fire helping matters any.

Remus closed his eyes again with a sigh. For a sick man, he thought, Sirius had remarkably good aim.

The food fight had ended with Remus finally calling a cease fire. And with a quick cleaning spell had managed to clean up himself, Harry, Sirius, and much of the area around them.

The only reason Remus had tolerated the activity as long as he had was that Sirius genuinely seemed to be enjoying himself as much as Harry, and it was the most coherency he has shown in the past few days. Which, Remus happily convinced himself, must mean that the medicines, along with the shot Aaron had given Sirius, were doing their work. And if the medicine was working, there was no need to worry about Sirius going to the hospital.

Despite Aaron's warnings, Remus agreed to leave Harry where he was for the afternoon. Both of the bed's occupants seemed exhausted and had settled down for naps soon after lunch.

"He can stay." Remus had agreed to Sirius' hacked pleadings. "But I have to take him back to his crib when Aaron comes this evening to see you. And I don't want any fussing out of you when its time to go." He added, pointing a warning finger at Sirius, then at Harry. "Or you."

The baby stared up at Remus with his large green eyes, then promptly stuck up a hand and flapped 'bye-bye' with his fingers.

"Even the kid doesn't listen to me." Remus sighed quietly.

Sirius laughed softly from his position on the bed, followed immediately by a hacking cough, which was followed by a lot of wheezing.

Remus frowned slightly at the sounds, but said nothing. The medicines were helping, he told himself again sternly. That was the situation he was happiest with. And he wasn't going to let facts interfere.

When Remus had the two settled down, he retired downstairs to his favorite chair before the fire. He glanced quickly at the clock over the mantle. Four o'clock. Aaron would likely be by in a few hours. But in the meantime a short nap certainly wouldn't hurt any.

What seemed like minutes later Remus found himself snapped out of a light doze by a sudden cry.

Actually, a shriek would have been more the word for the sound. Remus jolted out of his chair, glancing quickly again at the clock. It was nearly six o'clock.

Merlin's Beard! He didn't even remember falling asleep. Baby's certainly could tire one out.

Baby's?

Harry!  
Suddenly remembering what had woken him in the first place, Remus was already on the stairs when the sound rented the air again. He flew into Sirius' room, expecting to find Harry in some horrible distress and Sirius fussing over him like a mother hen with one chick.

But the scene he met couldn't have confused him more.

Harry was sitting up on the bed next to Sirius, his tiny cheeks wet with tears. Next to him Sirius lay against the pile of pillows with his mouth hanging slightly open, apparently still asleep.

Heavens above! How could the man sleep through such a noise?

Remus walked over and picked Harry up, trying to determine what had caused the child to cry out so suddenly. And so loud.

It was then that he noticed that Sirius wasn't breathing.

In a fit of panic Remus nearly dropped Harry. But depositing him quickly back on the bed, Remus leaned over Sirius and began shaking him and calling his name over and over again.

When Sirius didn't respond, Remus shook him harder and began to yell, trying to get some response out of his friend. But with no success. 

With his panic building, Remus pulled back suddenly and slapped Sirius across the face as hard as he could.

But still Sirius didn't respond.

Through all of this Harry had continued to get more and more distressed until he abruptly broke into a wail of tears at the foot of the bed where Remus had left him. 

The sound of the infant's cries, along with his own growing panic which was pounding in his ears, nearly caused Remus to miss the sound of the doorbell downstairs.

Remus looked up.

Aaron!

Oh, please heaven, he prayed, let it be Aaron.

Remus flew down the stairs, nearly tripping on the last few as he rushed to the door. Pulling it open, he met the smiling face of Aaron Richards. A look that abruptly turned to puzzlement as the doctor met Remus' stark white face.

Remus grabbed the man by the arm and yanked him inside, thankful he had managed enough sense to close the door before he stammered, "Sirius! Upstairs. He's stopped breathing."

There was no telling where or if the ministry wizards were outside still, or if they might have heard him otherwise.

Aaron rushed up the stairs to Sirius' room, followed closely by Remus.

Harry continued to sit crying on the end of the bed as Aaron rushed to Sirius' side and began checking him.

"How long?" He snapped off quickly as he felt for a pulse.

"I don't know." Remus replied honestly. "I fell asleep downstairs. Harry's cries woke me up three.....maybe four minutes ago. That's when I came upstairs and found him like this."

Aaron had his fingers pressed firmly against the side of Sirius' neck.

"It couldn't have been for very long." He judged. "He still has a pulse. Which he won't for long if we don't get him breathing again."

"Can you help him?" Remus asked frantically. All he could see were the seconds ticking by that his friend wasn't breathing.

"Ever done CPR before?" Aaron asked as he stripped the bed coverings away from Sirius' body.

Remus shook his head.

"Then you're going to learn real fast. Watch and pay attention."

Without further hesitation Aaron tilted Sirius' head back, pinched off his nose, and blew as hard as he could into Sirius' mouth. 

Remus watched in tense silence. The response for Aaron's effort was Sirius' chest rising, but only slightly.

Aaron repeated the process over the next several minutes before turning to Remus.

"Your turn." He stated.

"Me!?"

"I can't keep it up much longer by myself, Remus. There's not a lot of capacity left in his lungs for air with the congestion blocking it off. Forcing air into his lungs is like trying to inflate a balloon past it's recommended size. And it'll tire you out fairly quickly. So we'll trade off every few minutes. Now, your turn."

Remus positioned himself where Aaron had been at Sirius' side, and following Aaron's instructions, began to breath for his friend.

Aaron was right. It was like trying to force air into an over-inflated balloon. But on the fifth time, Sirius' body suddenly shook violently.

Aaron grabbed Remus by the back of his robes and pulled him back. He quickly took Remus' place on the bed and rolled Sirius over on his side.

Almost immediately Sirius began coughing up large amounts of blood-tainted phlegm from his lungs.

The situation continued for several more minutes before the coughing subsided enough that Aaron rolled Sirius back over on his back, gasping for air.

"It didn't help him much." Aaron cautioned Remus' relieved expression. "But at least he's breathing on his own again."

Remus turned a worried stare to Aaron. "Now what?"

The doctor turned a stern look on Remus as he pulled up from the bed and stood up to face him.

"Have you listened to one word I said to you when I was here last? He's very sick, Remus. He almost died. Next time he might. He needs to be in a hospital."

Remus doubted that anyone in the world ever heard that word as a death sentence. But to Sirius, as far as he was concerned, it was.

"He can't...." He began.

"He can't stay here!" Aaron stated firmly.

The words seemed to strike a chord with Remus as his expression shifted under a sudden decision.

"You're right, Aaron." He replied after a moment's thought. "He can't. But nor is he going to a hospital. At least not just any hospital."

"Then where would you suggest?"

Remus stared back at the man before him, a hard determination shining in his champagne colored eyes.

"Hogwarts."

Q&A

First up, a general notice.

A LOT of you mentioned the fact that Harry isn't 'acting his age'. The fact of the matter is, P.A.R. has no idea how a year-old-plus baby would act. You see, P.A.R. has no children, doesn't want any, and more to the point, doesn't particularly LIKE children under the age of 18. The only child I ever had any contact with was a few months old about ten years ago. I think the poor thing is still in therapy today. 

So, what am I saying here? Bare with me and cut me some slack. There are some severe chronological issues in this story. The biggest is Harry's actual age. By canon he should be about what....fifteen months to two years old right now? In this story he's actually about six to eight months old. So work with me, O.K.?

By the way, I did like Starlight's suggestion that Harry's lack of proper developmental skills being due to all the trauma the child has been through. To a point. And part of Starlight's suggestion may come up a bit later in the story as that I have been informed that even a six to eight month old baby would be doing more than Harry is right now. But give me some time and I'll try to straighten things out. O.K.?

Oh, yes, and the credit for getting Sirius into a sitting position goes to our resident doctor, Apassov.

All right, on with the other answers.

Family Life

ME: Chapter nine wasn't my favorite by far. And although chapter ten had definite possibilities, chapter eleven will forever win out simply for the reasons I stated before. Yes, this was the first chapter I wrote for Family Life. That is why it is my favorite. But I didn't write that story's chapters in order. I worked on story arcs, and then pieced it all together when I felt I was done with the story as a whole. It is also the first fanfiction piece I ever wrote. So it will always be my favorite.

Padfoot's Bone: Yup! You gotta hand it to old Snape. He's a smooth as silk sometimes. 

Well, I'm glad you liked Analisa. She's sort of a permanent fixture and she will be showing up in the Sequel and be rather important to things. And I always liked her reason for joining the Deatheaters. If you're going to join something, let's join it for a good reason. Although I do recall Analisa saying that the reason sounded a whole lot better all those years ago.

A lot of people were crazy about that monologue. 

And I'm glad you're interested in Sirius' ever-mentioned, but never-met brother, Orion Black. Orion figures very prominently in the sequel and is, in my opinion, not only an interesting character, but probably one of the most complex I've got going right now. He is also one of the main characters of Enemies.

Gwen De'Paul: I'm very pleased you liked it. Feel free to check out my bio page for other stories.

Nicky: *P.A.R. does something that probably insults you, like patting you on the head.* Awwwwwwww, such a nice review. And thank you for the lovely comment about the one chapter. The injury to Sirius' leg was something Harry needed to deal with, which he wasn't. When someone you love gets permanently injured, its sometimes very hard to accept the change in that person, and to realize that in some way, that person is never going to be the same again.

And yes, there is a sequel to this story.

Teigra: Thank you. I appreciate the review.

Voltora: I thought you had read Family Life? Oh well. That should give you something to do while I'm on vacation.

I'm sorry about your Thesaurus...and your brain. 

Awwww, you didn't like Moody? I thought I did him pretty well.

Yeah....ummmmm.....chapter sixteen is about as much sex as you're gonna get out of old P.A.R..

Chapters eighteen and nineteen were just for fun. I enjoyed writing them immensely.

Fever

Jayde: Very good detective work. Few people realized the cookies were poisoned.

Ginger Rogers: Thank you. I appreciate my reviews a great deal.

Teigra: If you have questions about it, feel free to ask.

Abby: Thank you. I'm glad you liked the story.

Nicky: Wow! Once you start the reviewing thing, you don't stop!

Anyway, I'm glad you liked that chapter. It was one of the better ones.

child of shadows:*P.A.R. lays her head on the desk.* Oh dear Heaven! The wand thing comes back to haunt me again! *P.A.R. sits back up.* O.K.. The wand thing. The thing is.......little known fact here. Sirius' wand is a 'Homing Wand', and.........oh, never mind, they didn't believe that one the first time either. Fact of the matter is, it was a continuity error that was never quite fixed.

I have a Snape/Lupin story in the works about during their time at school that helps to explain their current relationship as adults. Expect to see it late in the year.

And I'm glad you liked the relationship. It's one of my favorites to write about.

Diamond

Thank you, Lord, that someone is still reading this story!   
I love Diamond, and I'm pleased to see it is still chalking up reviews.

Jayde: Thank you!

Semmel: Thank you. And yes, kittens are cute.

Teigra: Thank you for the review.

The Bonds That Tie

Lin-z: MISSED!!!???? I missed you!!!!??????

Well, it was nice of you to review despite my callous disregard to mention you.

Ummmmmmm.......'bout the check thing.........Boy! And you thought you were bitter about being missed? 

Wait till that check doesn't come.

Nagini: More? Yes. Age? No.

Come on. Ya'll have more than enough information to make an educated guess.

Zimmy Russell: Don't recall any reviews from anyone named 'Teva'.

As you can see, there's no need to do an 'Unrecognizable Charm' on Sirius this time.

Yeah. Cute's hard to stop once you start.

Hand you a tissue? I'll hand you a whole box. We ain't done with this story yet.

Oh, good. Someone who isn't interested in my age. (Doesn't interest me that much either.)

The 'squirting' yourself thing was the response to a reviewer who commented that they had a gun to their head, then amended it with the gun only being a squirt gun.

Holding out on what, Dear?

Well, the ministry are idiots.

Everybody likes mint!

Oh, I can't wait for the third movie!!!!!!

Checks are how I pay off the blackmailers for forgetting them in the reviews. But as Lin-z can attest to, it just a stall for time.

Yes. I'm sorry to shock you, but P.A.R. has a real job.

vmr: Thank you.

Nicky: I'm just.....stunned! Three separate reviews! Wow!

Anyway, about the 'Sirius killing the Potter's to raise Harry thing'. People have done stranger things, Dear. It's not beyond the realm of possibility. And the doctor doesn't know Sirius, so he's just speculating.

That 'what if' conversation wasn't easy to write either, let me tell you!

About the developmental thing, see the first entry under Q&A.

As you can see, you picked right on one of the places Sirius could go for safety. Well done!

Yup. I think Sirius was just made for daddy-hood. Problem I have with it is, I can easily see Rowling not clearing Sirius' name until the last book. I mean, that's one of her major story arcs. So, by then Harry will be 17. Not much parenting time left after that.

Me: Buddy-girl?

I find nothing wrong with loving Remus. If P.A.R. could find a man like that, P.A.R. wouldn't be looking for a man like that.

WOW! P.A.R. won another gold star! My collection is growing.

I'm working on the 'Harry acting his age' thing. I hope to have things a bit more in line by the end of the story.

Nothing at all wrong with long reviews, Dear.

Now, go back to the top of the page and read the first part again! Poor Dr. Richards! How can you NOT like the man? He hasn't done anything bad.....yet. (And I'm not saying with that that he will, either.).

I wish I could help you out with the time thing. You see, P.A.R. works Sundays right now until four. She gets home about 4:30, and has to make last minute adjustments to the story before putting it up. I'll see what I can do. Sometimes I do manage to post about 5 or 6PM EST. But it's usually more like 9 or 10PM EST.

Yes, Sirius wasn't responding to Harry because he's just that sick.

Remus has always got a plan. Well, almost always. And I don't know about the 'master' part. Just plain logic, really. Man needs a safe place to go. Where's the safest place in the world?

No, no, no, Dear! You have to UNWRAP it first!!!!!!!

*P.A.R. sighs loudly.* Honestly!

Hayleyhedwig 11: P.A.R. loves long reviews, Dear. No problem there. And I wrote science-fiction, mystery, and fantasy-horror.

I try very hard not to miss any Sunday postings. But keep in mind there are things I have no control over, like site crashes and nasty little computer viruses that take your computer out for several days. But I'll see what I can do.

LauraBlade: If you think I'm taking responsibility for that, you're wrong. This story came with a warning for the anguishy-faint people that they were not to read this story. If you did, your nail problem is your own.

Essence Of Magic: I don't know. I guess I'm just used to 'Dumbledore's True Love'. Give me time. Old people don't like new things.

I'll try to critique for you. It depends on time really.

I'm glad the story is going well for you and Whisp.

Remus has never actually said Sirius' name, but Dumbledore gets the idea that he's there.

The ministry is watching the house, as Dumbledore warned Remus from before when he told him not to be alarmed if he saw someone outside the window because the ministry was likely watching the house.

45 isn't a bad guess. You're wrong, by the way......., but not a bad guess.

Teigra: Naw. Harry's a tough little kid. Besides, despite everything Sirius is going through that is reflecting onto Harry, Harry has a new support system now with Remus.

As for getting Sirius a doctor.....'bout time, wouldn't you say?

Starlight: You didn't answer my question from the last time, by the way. Are you Starlight of It's A One Time Thing That Just Happens A Lot?

Anyway, about the age thing, see the first part under Q&A. And as mentioned, your suggestion had a lot of merit and I may incorporate it later. You will, of course, get credit then if not having already gotten it here. And if I fail to do so, just remind me. I do tend, in my old age, to be a bit forgetful.

Kiara O. Lawrence: Plagiarism or no, it keeps me off the streets.

I've seen a lot of stories that had Harry having a godmother as well as a godfather. I think it's a cute idea, if not a simply logical one. So I wouldn't think of that as plagiarism.

Sorry I can't get this up at a more convenient time, but currently its a work issue for me.

Alexa Black: O.K., I'm giving you the Harry remaining extremely cute part.

Liked the rubber dagger, by the way. So much cleaner than a squirt gun, really.

Oh, can't give you the trial part because, remember, Sirius hasn't been accused of anything yet. Just wanted for questioning. It is important to the story.

Taracollowen: No, no. P.A.R. answered your review last time! I'm sure of it!

True enough. There are just some people I can't see as evil. Remus is one and Dumbledore is the other.

The whole review section? Again, I either have to make my Q&A shorter or my stories more interesting.

Purple Ink: Actually, I do have a few more one shots like A Dog's Day in the works. I'm just more of a novel writer than a short story writer. My friends always joked that my opening paragraphs were 5000 words. I was just never able to write short stories. And actually, it really is a gift to be able to. Not many writers can write a really good short story. One of the best I've seen on this site was RavenNats Midnight Visitors.

About Dr. Richards, go read the Author's Notes if you haven't already.

Yes, indeed. Harry is cute.

rupert grint or ronald weasely: Thank you. Nice to see your back.

Padfoot's Bone: Ahhhh, nothing like a nice review to come home to after a long day at work.

Sirius is extremely ill.

O.K., I just HAVE to say something here. Personally, I don't think Dr. Richards would have much trouble facing a werewolf's wrath.

(And that's all I'm sayin'.)

MKH: *Pats on the head.* Awwww, that's O.K.. You're still one of my favorite troublema.........reviewers. Keep me on my toes.

Harry's not talking yet (well, not a lot anyway), because he's a lot younger than canon would make him (see notes under Q&A). Harry didn't start talking until Sirius had him, and then he only learned 'Paf'. It figures into the story, by the way.

And ya' know, you really should only get one shot at P.A.R. each week. But anyway, ya' little troublemaker, Remus has had Harry about four days by the end of this chapter. And maybe unfortunately to some, but I didn't give Remus any additional troubles by adding a full moon to this story. I mean, heavens! Don't you think the poor man has enough problems? It is an interesting idea though.

Black Sparkles: Ha! Didn't make him go to the hospital!

Harry doesn't know Remus. And besides, think of all the poor kid has been through. He's just a little confused about everything right now. All these new people........!

Glad you liked the chapter.

Shinigami: I wouldn't even know where to START writing about a two year old. Although I guess as Harry grows up, I'll have to learn.

Wolf Of Solitude: *P.A.R. stands tossing rotten tomato in her hand. Looks at Wolf, looks at tomato, looks at Wolf, looks at tomato, looks at Wolf, looks at tomato, looks at Wolf.* O.K., let's hear what you have to say.

Ohhhhh, Wolf used the word 'brilliant'. *P.A.R. gets rid of tomato.* P.A.R. likes that word!

Yes, poor Sirius is sick as a.....well, you know.

Fluff......fluff....fluff.......P.A.R. HAS heard that word somewhere before. Don't recall it though.

Lotesse: Goody! Long review!

Go with the two girls. Sounds like a safe bet.

Lotesse doesn't like my story? *P.A.R. doesn't know what to say.*

Oh, come on. And in the books Harry doesn't seem to good to be true?

Aaron doesn't know Dumbledore. Therefore he wouldn't inherently trust the man. I mean, heavens, he KNOWS Remus, and he doesn't trust him completely about the situation.

Dumbledore was always a little questioning about Sirius' role in everything. I mean lets face it, he wasn't acting like an innocent man. But after seeing how Sirius treated Harry and listening to Remus, Dumbledore has come to give Sirius the benefit of the doubt for now and just keep an eye on him. Sorry for the confusion.

Semmel: Goody! Someone who not only doesn't think the doctor is a bad person, but hopes he isn't. Yah!

Sorry, no, the comment about Remus wasn't a hint at anything, just P.A.R.'s making rhetorical comments.

I'm one of your favorites? Ohhhhhhh, thank you! I'm always happy to be a favorite of someone.

Voltora: *P.A.R. sits staring blankly at her computer screen.* WHAT did I DO that you people HATE this man so much!!!??? He hasn't DONE anything!

Can't answer about Sirius. Sorry.

Whisp! Get up here! *Drags Whisp on stage.* Whisp, you never cease to amaze me! Really! I mean, to come up with THAT as the reason Harry was crying. (I just had it in there as it being the first time Sirius never answered his cry as the reason he was so upset by the event.) So ya' little confuzzler, *Slaps gold star on Whip's forehead.* There you go(*)! You get the gold star this week! P.A.R. is most seriously impressed!

And no, you haven't come close to confusing me yet. Sorry. I do believe that post is currently being filled by MKH.

Karla: *P.A.R. sighs to self.* Oh, to heck with it. Go read the author's notes again. I'm not going through this anymore with the doctor thing.

But I will give you points on the reason you thought he would turn Sirius in. Thank you for giving P.A.R. something new to look at. (Tired of just hearing he's a traitor.....bad person....Deatheater....whatever.).

Boy, you're hittin' 'em all, aren't ya'? First the doctor thing. Now the age thing. O.K.. I'm not going to tell you to go read the first part of the Q&A again, because I've already been through this with you. So just re-read that. And yes, I did like Starlight's idea about why Harry is so 'under-developed'. Haven't decided on whether or not to use it. More likely a variation of it.

No, no. Remus wasn't having a nervous breakdown. Just....wouldn't you say he's entitled to one? Especially after this chapter?

And yes, based on this review, you're still holding up as one of my favorite troublemakers.

Summersun: Ohhhhh, always glad to hear from a new reviewer. Don't like suspense, huh? Boy are you reading the wrong story.

Updates are once a week on Sunday, barring unforeseen circumstances.

O.K., reviews are as of 03102002. If I missed, point it out. I care, but no checks. P.A.R. is running low on checks right now and the bank hasn't sent her any new ones yet.

See you next week. 


	11. Chapter Nine: Escape

A/N: I KNEW it! I just knew mentioning my vacation was a bad thing. But people, it's not forever. And it's necessary! I simply need a little time away to work. You want new stories, right? But, I also thought it was best to let you know early. So, I'm sorry for any trauma that may have resulted. But look at it this way. You know where I went and why. It's not like I'm just leaving you without an explanation. Right?

But seriously, you guys are great for understanding. And I promise to make it as short an absence as possible.

All right.

On with the story. 

Enjoy.

Chapter Nine: Escape

"Hogwarts?" Aaron questioned. "And how exactly are we suppose to get him to Hogwarts, Remus? And the baby. You can't leave Harry here alone."

But Remus was already deep in thought. There had to be a way. First he had to get past the ministry security. He had yet to see hide or hair pf them since Dumbledore warned him they may be about, but Remus would have bet just about anything that they were out there. Thankfully it was already dark outside. That would help.

But he couldn't get Sirius and Harry to Hogwarts by himself. He would need help.

Remus turned slowly to his friend.

No. That wasn't right. To involve Aaron in this? If the ministry was there....if they saw him.....anyone seen, or heaven forbid, caught involved in this, was going to be in a great deal of trouble with the ministry.

"Aaron, leave." Remus said quietly.

"What?"

"Leave. Just go downstairs and walk out the front door. I'll figure out something. But I don't want you around when I do. I don't want you mixed up in this."

Aaron stared back at Remus. "Excuse me." He stated with a frown. "But you've obviously not noticed, I already am mixed up in this. The minute I first examined this man, and left, and didn't report it to the ministry, I became mixed up in it. If I ever had a chance to 'just leave' and walk away from this, Remus, it was then. Now, for your information, I already made my decision. It's far too late to ask me to step aside now."

Remus gave Aaron a questioning look. "Are you sure?" He asked. "It could get messy, Aaron."

Aaron smiled broadly at Remus. "Most things involving you somehow always are."

"Aaron, there's a good chance there are ministry wizards outside. If they catch you....."

"Do I have to repeat myself?" Aaron stated. "I'm already in this, Remus. How deep isn't really important anymore. So, what's the plan?"

Remus thought for a moment again. "We need to get past the ministry and the anti-apparation spells. Once we manage that we can apparate to the gates of Hogwarts. After that the plan just calls for a lot of running."

"Sounds good to me." Aaron replied.

"Grab Harry then." Remus stated as he leaned over and picked Sirius up off the bed. "And just follow close."

Aaron protested that with his larger size, he was the better candidate to be carrying Sirius, as well as was Harry likely to stay more quiet if Remus was the one carrying him since he had some contact with Remus. Both facts Remus conceded to. And so allowing Aaron to take Sirius, Remus carefully settled Harry into his arms.

Seeming to sense how important silence was at the moment, Harry didn't make a sound. Even when the Remus picked him up, he only glanced up at Remus as though looking for guidance as what to do. Remus just patted him on his head as Aaron went by carrying Sirius.

"Just be a good boy, Harry." Remus told the baby. "And stay very quiet for Uncle Remus. All right?"

Harry made a small sound, then curled up against Remus' chest as he turned and followed Aaron down the stairs.

"Are we taking anything?" Aaron asked as they descended the stairs.

"No time." Remus replied. "The faster we get to Hogwarts, the better. Oh!" Remus stopped suddenly at the bottom of the stairs. "Harry's blanket. I left it in his crib in the other room. We have to have that or there'll be no dealing with him later. Can you get it?"

Aaron nodded quickly and headed for the room Remus pointed to.

Just as the doctor was out of sight, there came a knock on the door. Remus turned abruptly to the sound, then spun around back to the door.

"Aaron!" He hissed at the room. "Come on. We have to go now!"

Aaron was already coming back into the front hall, handing the blanket off to Remus.

"What is it?"

The knock sounded again as though in answer to Aaron's question.

"Mr. Lupin?" A voice Remus didn't recognize called through the door. "Paul Beetrok with the Ministry of Magic. I need to have a word with you , Sir, if you'd please open the door."

Remus opened his mouth to tell the man something like he'd be there in a minute, but Aaron quickly slapped a hand over his mouth.

"No." He hissed in Remus' ear. "They'll spend more time figuring out why you don't answer than why you do. Let's just go."

With that Aaron grabbed Remus' sleeve and hurried him soundlessly to the back door. 

Remus performed a quick spell to check if anyone was in the back, the cautiously opened the door.

"How far do the anti-apparation spells reach?" Aaron asked.

"To the woods." Remus pointed out as they made their way quietly down the steps. "Only protection spells should be able to be cast while inside the wards. That should help."

When they reached the bottom of the steps, both men took one last look around.

"Ready then?" Remus asked as he turned to Aaron.

The doctor nodded.

"No stopping." Remus told him resolutely. "No matter what."

Aaron nodded again.

The two took off at a run across Remus' back yard, headed full tilt for the thin forest of trees just beyond the property line that marked the end of the anti-apparation spells.

As they made it over nearly two-thirds of the distance without any incidence, Remus felt his hopes rising.

Only to have them crash as a voice rang out behind them.

"Halt!"

The sudden sound nearly shocked Remus into stopping, but his feet thankfully, were apparently deaf, and kept moving. Ahead of him Aaron glanced back for a second, but also kept moving.

"Ministry of Magic!" The voice called again. "You are ordered to halt!"

A streak of light shot past Remus' face.

Twenty-five yards to the tree line.

Remus watched Aaron gain ground on him. He was glad now he had let the man take Sirius. He could obviously run faster despite the extra weight.

Another streak of light shot past Remus. A third cut past Aaron.

Fifteen yards.

"Halt there!" Another voice called.

Behind him Remus could hear several more excited voices joining the others. Three shots cut between him and Aaron.

Ten yards.

A streak of light flashed past him, this time just catching him on the shoulder. Remus bit back a cry as he gratefully watched another shot miss Aaron.

Five yards.

A sudden cry just ahead of him froze Remus' blood. He watched with frightened eyes as Aaron went down before him.

"Aaron!" Remus cried.

"Just a slight spell hit on the leg." Aaron replied quickly, struggling back to his feet. "Nothing silver. I can move."

Remus turned around for the first time. From behind his canine-sensitive eyes Remus could see a group of moving shadows headed towards them, each running as fast as it could as it navigated the unfamiliar ground. Something that proved a small but useful advantage to Aaron and Remus.

Remus quickly ran after a limping Aaron the last few yards to the trees. Reaching the edge of the wards around his house, Remus hit the ground on his knees. He quickly recited the apparition spell and closed his eyes.

When he opened them again a second later, he found himself staring at some very familiar trees. His first thought was the Forbidden Forest. But with a sudden growing panic Remus remembered the Forbidden Forest was inside Hogwarts gates. Remus looked around quickly. 

He was exactly where he had stopped.

The spell hadn't worked.

"What's wrong?" Came Aaron's frightened whisper in the growing darkness. "Why didn't it work? Why can't we apparate?"

Remus looked dumbstruck. Why hadn't it worked? They were past the wards. He knew it. He had helped set them, so certainly he knew the lines.

But Aaron already had his head up, feeling the air around them. "Wait a minute." He stated suddenly. "Remus, we're not outside the anti-apparation fields."

Remus looked up at him "You're sure?"

Aaron searched about them again. "I may be an old wolf, but I'm not a senile one. Use your senses, boy. I know what an anti-apparation field feels like, Remus. And we're still in them."

"The ministry must have moved the wards." Remus whispered back. It was the only answer.

"And now?" Aaron asked.

Remus turned to him in the darkness, a look of hopelessness settling across his features. "We are so........"

"Ministry of Magic!" A sharp voice cut him off. "Stop where you are!"

Remus was about to make some biting remark about how they couldn't be anymore stopped if they tried. But instead he turned back to Aaron, quickly handing Harry off to the man.

"Take Harry and Sirius and keep going, Aaron." Remus told him.

Aaron was about to ask Remus what he planned to do for himself, but he stopped as a large tan-haired wolf suddenly appeared before him. The wolf turned to him and growled angrily.

"All right. All right." Aaron stated. "I'm going. Just you be sure to follow."

The wolf bounded off, plotting his course directly at the ministry members making their way through the trees.

Surprise was an element Remus planned to use to his complete advantage. Surely the last thing the ministry was expecting to be confronted by was a large, adult male wolf. As he made his way towards the ministry members, Remus could hear Aaron's footfalls over the leaves growing dimmer. He was moving further away with each second, but was likely still in the sight of the ministry members that were out in front of the advancing group. Those were the ones Remus set his sights on. Get rid of them first, and let the ensuing chaos work for him as long as he could. Hopefully Aaron wouldn't wait for him. Hopefully he would realize there was no time, and likely no point. Remus knew full well he couldn't hope to drive the ministry members back and then catch up to Aaron again without jeopardizing their escape all over again.

He would have to stay behind.

If he was lucky, he could escape into the woods. If not..........if not, at least Sirius and Harry would be safely at Hogwarts. And that was all that mattered to him.

He was beginning to wonder just what they did do to werewolves in Azkaban when he saw a shape moving directly towards him. It was the ministry member who had been closest to them, still yelling for people he hopefully couldn't even see anymore to stop.

Remus positioned himself in the man's path, determined to stop him no matter what it took. Two bright champagne eyes followed the man's ever step as a low growl began to build in Remus' throat. Lowering his center of gravity, Remus poised himself to jump. 

But he never got the chance.

Directly before him a bright light suddenly flared up. To Remus it was as though the sun had exploded before him.

From the other side of the light, Remus could hear a sudden rush of voices and a lot of cursing.

But he didn't have long to ponder the situation. As though someone had grabbed him by the back of his robes, he felt himself pulled away from the scene, leaving behind the light as he was pulled into darkness. The last thing Remus saw before he tightly shut his eyes was the light fading to a small glowing dot. The it disappeared altogether.

Q&A

Your fun. Now my fun. You know the routine.

Family Life

SWEETand SEXY: Actually, Family Life is being sequeled....twice. It is a three arc story. Family Life, Family Relations, and Family Ties.

ra878: See, the government is reducing us all to numbers!

Family Life is being sequeled. And by the way, what makes you think Voldemort is dead? Hmmmm?

The Bonds That Tie

Midori-sama: Ummmmm....good guess. But 'former' patient, Dear. Remus....not Sirius. And by the way, Aaron Richards IS a very good doctor. I'm glad everyone stopped attacking the poor man.

And also, it is 'Dudette'. Just thought I'd add that in so there's no confusion. P.A.R. is female. Although there are some doctors out there trying to spay poor P.A.R.. See, there are BAD doctors! Trying to do that to poor P.A.R.. (Like I want to have children!)

Lin-z: Actually where you fall on the Q&A list sometimes depends where you fall on the review list. This week I'm answering in order. I don't always, but I try.

And it was ALMOST. I didn't kill him......this time.

I know Harry is acting young, but this is an AU, and I'm putting him about nine months, not two years (James and Lily were killed a LOT sooner in this story). And yes, he's still acting young even for nine months. But there we're probably going to try and work with Starlight's 'trauma' thing. So bare with me.

Teigra: HEY! Wait a minute. It was ALMOST. (BAD P.A.R.?)

Man, you guys are getting brutal this week!

Yes indeed, Harry loves his godfather. But it's sort of a mutual admiration society really.

It is a problem sometimes that I only have the time to 'answer' questions, and not restate them. But it would add about an hour to an already lengthy job. So I just go with hoping people remember what they ask me with only a minimal amount of restatement for a reminder.

KAT: Harry did indeed save Sirius' life. Remus was, after all asleep. However, Aaron also came to the door a few minutes later and would likely also have woken Remus up. But it's cuter to say Harry saved his life. So we're gonna go with that.

This is taking place about late Spring and the students will be on Spring break at the time. (Actually, when I wrote this and read your review, I realized that in the next chapter I had him at Hogwarts during the summer holidays, which wasn't right chronologically. So I give you credit for having me catch that early and change it before positing. Thank you.)

Lotesse: Actually, I'll just say one thing about that - thought you were 23.

Moving right along, I have nothing against babies. Their delicious.

*P.A.R. holds up her soapbox, of which she is very fond, and waves it about.* HEY!!!!!

The most obvious course of action? Well, at the moment it is.

About the word issue....go read the bio page again. Oh! Wait a minute!!! You're the English teacher, aren't you? O.K., never mind. I'm not even gonna fight with you on it.

Starlight: O.K., we got that cleared up.

Anyway, thanks for the review.

Hermione Gulliver: Actually, while I have your attention, I wanted you to know that that Snape/Remus (Not slash. P.A.R. doesn't write slash....yet.) story I keep mentioning, you gave the title to. It won't likely be out until the end of the year if it makes it out this year at all. But the title to it is Proper Friends. Thought I'd just mention that quickly.

Anyway, thanks for the review. Nice to hear from you again.

vmr: Thank you.

Nicky: Now there's a good point. You people keep getting on to me for giving Sirius a hard time. But folks, that's sort of like being mad at the people who sell chocolate bars. We know they're bad for us, but we keep buying them. If you didn't read this stuff, I would stop writing it. So, WHO'S to blame here?

Yeah, the developmental thing is credible. That's why you'll probably see it later verified in the story and we're just sort of running with it for now.

Do cut poor Dr. Richards some slack. He was under a lot of stress at the moment. And if you look at the course of the conversation, it was a logical statement.

Family Life, Fever, and The Bonds That Tie. Why does everyone ignore my other two stories? Didn't you people like them? P.A.R. loves Diamond and A Dog's Day.

I'm with you! I'd like to see Sirius' name cleared before Book 7. But I'd also like to win the lottery, but that hasn't happened yet either.

Of course, what I'd really like to see is old Warner Brothers wake up one day and, after Rowling is done with her series, realize what a little money maker they have here in Fanfictions and print anthologies. However, I've found that the intelligence that runs the corporate machine would generally fit in the navel of a Barbie doll.

LauraBlade: Oh good. There ARE still people out there who'll stand up and take responsibility for their own actions. I was beginning to wonder these days.

SORT OF breathing again? No, no, Dear. He is definitely breathing again. 

The leaving thing.....go read the Author's Notes again.

I suppose the age thing came up when I refused to cave-in to telling people anything more about my writing than I have. Also, you have more clues to work with on the age thing than you do about trying to figure out who I am and what I wrote.

WHY does everyone get so worried about reviews running too long and decide for that reason they have to stop? A review that I write generally runs a half page to a page. And if I really like your story, they're longer. I LIKE long reviews. Trust me, I'm not offended.

Phoenix: Ohhhh! New reviewer! Goody! Another person has decided to stop being just a 'hit' number on my enhanced statistics. Thank you. I appreciate all my reviews. Written ones and.....well...., the other ones.

Silverfox: You don't LIKE Sirius (or mint)!!!? Exactly why are you reading my stories then? I mean, Sirius figures pretty heavily in most of them. (O.K., he's sort of 'not' in Family Life's sequel.) And how can you NOT like the man? (And I'll give you the Snape thing.)

Chamber of Secrets I'm sort of ambivalent about for the movie. I wasn't crazy about the book. But, for casting alone, I can't wait for Prisoner of Azkaban. I think the two choices they have for Remus Lupin's character for the movie are both very good, but one does overshadow the other. (Don't have the pictures in front of me right now, so I can't say which is which.) But I've seen very little on who'll be cast as Sirius Black and I think the studio will keep it quiet as long as possible. But I definitely think you'll see even more hype come out over that movie than the first one. I think it is by far the best book of the series so far. Rowling packed so much into that one book, I was stunned. I do, however, think Rosie O'Donnel would have made a better Mrs. Weasley.

I have my own ideas, as does everyone, on how the story will go. And just for fun I may put up my theories at the end of this story. But I will point out one thing I've seen over and over again in these 'predictions' I keep reading. The main point people seem determined to ignore is WHO Rowling is writing these books for. The age group is pre-teens (9-14). And very few authors I've read in a continuing series suddenly switch their target group in the middle of the story. I've seen some theories that were really out of the scope of this age group for readers. Another point is........ummmmm....oh. I'm sorry, Dear. What was the question?

Memory spells for who, Dear? And since they're headed for Hogwarts anyway, there's really no need anymore to invite Dumbledore over.

As for toys, there was always Padfoot's tail. It was large, soft, furry and...oh, look! It MOVES!!!

Actually, Remus has some interesting ideas on how many toys Harry actually needs. That comes up much later though.

O.K.! Yeah! I've wondered about that too! How is that kid so normal?

summersun: You're right, to a point. It's not that I won't answer it, it's that I can't. Not unless I want to make a lot of work redundant.

Essence of magic: Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, I can only write babies as I see them. And I've been told I seem to be stuck in the 0-6months range for some reason. Don't know why.

Personally, I think old Dumbledore has a few spy devices around that office of his somewhere. I think Rowling mentioned somewhere that mind-reading was not part of her world.

No, Dear, I don't think you're a hypocrite at all. I never liked children, period. Even when I was one they annoyed me. I constantly swear to people I was never a child.

Actually, keep the story until you're done. I prefer to read completed work.

The last age I was accused of was 20-25. When I told those people how far off they were they refused to believe me. I nearly got out my driver's license and AARP card. (Just JOKING!).

Taracollowen: I HOPE you weren't expecting it. If you were, I should just stop now.

Yeah, it's kinda original. However, Trinity Day and Unicorn Whisperer both have out very good baby Harry stories.

If you're commenting on Family Life's sequel (Oh, wait, that's the only one I have a sequel planned to. Never mind.), I simply had too many requests not to sequel it and it was sort of the idea I had for it anyway.

Well, I'm glad someone thinks Harry is 'acting his age'. But the general consensus seems to be 'not'.

Purple Ink: Well, it's possible that the ministry considered Sirius going to Hogwarts, but the point of this chapter was that they know where he is....or was. They were simply waiting to.....for lack of a better term...'make their move'.

Black Sparkles: I'm not sure who said he was a Deatheater. I believe I remember reading it somewhere though. But P.A.R. is old. She forgets sometimes.

Ohhhh, good point about taking a lesson from Sirius' life, though.

Alexa Black: Serious about what with the dagger squirt gun thing?

I think from this chapter we can all say now that, yes, Dr. Richards can be trusted.

hello: Ummmm, just to clarify, only Family Life is being sequeled.

And thank you for such kind words. And don't fuss at Rowling too much. I mean, she's at least promising to finish the series.

Kiara O. Lawrence: Ummmmm, sorry, but yeah, the first part there did confuse me a bit. Did I say something bad last time?

*P.A.R. quickly prints off review and mails it to her editor.* HA! Take that you........ohhhh, ah......, never mind.

Ummmm......, thank you.

MKH: Oh..........! O.K., there's no putting it off. Get up here. *Drags MKH up on stage. Holds gold star in hand.* All right, for being the first person in the reviews to realize AND post that they believed Aaron Richard, M.D. to be a genuine fur, fangs, and tail wagging werewolf......*Slaps gold star on MKH's forehead.*......you have won this week's gold star. *Shoves MKH off the stage.* Enjoy. BUT YOU HAVE TO SHARE WITH KARLA! Ha!

Good heavens, but you're winning an awful lot of gold stars.

You didn't use to be the one confusing me, you know. I had other people doing that before you arrived.

By the way, loved the review.

UnrepentantReader: Well, just to prove I'm not evil, sadistic, or cruel....well, at least not evil or cruel....I might give you the sadistic thing........I will tell you I only post on Sunday nights right now for this story. When The Bonds That Tie is done, I have a one shot that will be put up, though I can't say when. It's sort of my , 'hi, remember me' piece. Probably put it up in April some time. Enemies will likely be my next story. Then Family Relations.

I'm glad you liked the other stories as well and that you like my work. Thank you.

And actually, just as a side note, no, Lupin doesn't enjoy torturing Snape, just annoying him from time to time.

Voltora: Well, since you put him on the 'Nice Character' list, O.K., you're forgiven.

But who am I to complain about someone's spur of the moment ramblings. I mean, that's pretty much what these things are, and I'm sure I don't come out sounding like I liked to half the time. Actually, on a few occasions I've put in things that I really regretted later.

Ohhhhhh, how can you not like Moody?

But I got him a doctor! I mean, that's SOMETHING, right?

Glad you're still reviewing Family Life, by the way. But you might want to finish soon as that that story will be coming down for revisions before Family Relations goes up. Granted, that gives you a couple of months at least, but just a warning.

Whisp!

I think you and MKH are vying for the most gold stars right now.

Congratulations on winning the championship game and especially on being named MVP. What an honor! I guess all those suicides paid off.

I can't say anything about the Snape thing. Sorry.

Karla: Don't let MKH gyp you on the gold star thing. MKH has to share with you this week since you both got the thing about Dr. Richards being a werewolf. Although I don't see why that was 'not too plausible'. So, you didn't fail. You past with flaying colors.

Actually The Bonds That Tie should finish up in April some time. That would give me May and June off (possibly July), and I would hope to be back by August at least. But look on the bright side, I heard Book V should be out in the summer.

Thanks for letting the 'Harry acting his age thing' go. I think we've beaten that poor horse enough. However, I would like to strongly point out to you and my other reviewers that I don't mind these things, folks. I'm going to make mistakes. I'm aware of that. But that fact that YOU catch them simply proves to me that you're paying better attention to these things reading them than I apparently am e\writing them.

Wolf!

Hi, Wolf. How's it goin'?

Worshipers. I like that!

Well, just be sure to remember to lay flowers around the alter once a week, O.K.? 

Sirius in no more life threatening situations? Hmmmmmm. Story's not over, now, is it? (Thought you liked anguish, Wolf?)

Or could it possibly be that I have found Wolf's anguish limit? Does such a thing exist? Was that one of the signs of the Apocalypse?

O.K.. All done. Reviews are as of 03162002. If I missed you, please let me know. Blackmail can be a wonderful and profitable thing.

Hope to see you next Sunday. 


	12. Chapter Ten: Hogwarts

A/N: I'll tell ya' what. This has been a very strange week for me. I expected nothing but a bad week, and what I got was the biggest mixed bag you can imagine. Now I know that this doesn't make a lot of sense to you, and you probably care just about as much. But the point is, if I sound a little scattered in my Q&A, now you know the reason. That's all.

Oh! Wait! I almost forgot!

We need to have a talk, people.

O.K., look. I made a mistake. I thought I put a warning about Remus' animagi skills at the beginning of this story, only to find out I didn't. It was at the beginning of a story called Siriusly Bored (which hasn't posted yet), and it goes something like this:

'You remember that talk we had at the beginning of A Dog's Day, about Remus' ability to transform just like his friends? Run with it.'

So, in response to all the questions I had about WHY Remus was able to transform into a wolf, see above. (Or feel free to go read the opening author's notes at the beginning of A Dog's Day. That should clear it up for you. And I'm just too lazy to rewrite it.)

P.A.R. is very sorry for the confusion. Bad P.A.R.!

Also, I had to add this after I got so many questions about it in the reviews that I decided to simply add it into my author's notes as a general comment. Mostly, because P.A.R. is very proud of herself. I think this may even be a first on the site. I've created a cliffhanger without even having started the story! Way to go P.A.R.! Yah! 

So, what's all that about? 

I'll tell you. 

A lot of you caught on to a small notation I put in Silverfox's answer for Q&A last week and really ran with it. And now it's just driving you nuts. You got hold of this thing with more teeth than a werewolf has and refuse to let go. So, for the general populace, I'd like to reiterate, just to keep driving you guys nuts, 'No, Sirius is sort of not in the sequel to Family Life. He is in the first few chapters, and that's pretty much it'. HeeHeeHee! Now, go work on THAT one until I post the sequel.

On with the story.

Enjoy. 

Chapter Ten: Hogwart's

When Remus next opened his eyes the first thing he saw was the anxious face of Aaron Richards.

"Merlin's Beard!" The doctor exclaimed softly, still trying to manage as best he could holding both Harry and Sirius. "What just happened, Remus?"

Remus looked around quickly to orient himself. It didn't take long.

Standing majestically before them were the gates to Hogwarts castle.

Remus quickly struggled to his feet. "I have no idea, Aaron." Remus replied, quickly taking Harry from him. "But my suggestion is we fall back to the original plan and just run."

Aaron didn't need any encouragement as he got to his feet as well and hurried after Remus, who was already through the gates and headed across the castle grounds.

"I thought you said something about only protection spells being able to be used within the wards." He asked as he caught up to Remus.

Remus was silent for a few seconds. "My guess would be that the ministry spent the time I had Sirius in the house making a few adjustments." He answered finally. "I think the ministry knew all along Sirius was there, or were at least suspicious something was going on. Maybe they weren't sure he was in the house already, but suspected he would show up eventually and wanted to be prepared." Remus shook his head. "Whichever the reason, they were more prepared then I gave them credit for. A mistake that nearly cost us one man's life. Possibly three."

Aaron could hear the self-incrimination in Remus' voice. "You still got us out, Remus." He said past pants of air. "If you hadn't taken the chance, Sirius would have been caught for sure. And whatever you did, it worked and we made it to safety."

"I told you," Remus repeated, "I didn't have anything to do with what happened back there. I'm as mystified by it as you. And as for being 'safe', we're not there yet."

The two men continued to make their way across the castle grounds with their loads. 

Remus looked up from time to time to see where they were. He couldn't remember the trip from the gates to the front steps being so far before. And with each step, Remus could feel his pace slowing a little bit more. But he knew he couldn't stop. He had no idea if the ministry could follow them or just make an educated guess as to where they had apparated to. And he feared that at any minute he would again hear someone calling out for them to halt.

"Here! Hold on a minute there you lot!" A voice suddenly boomed from the side of them. "Where do ya' think you're going?"

Remus almost fell over. But as he suddenly recognized the voice, a wave of relief rushed through him.

Stopping in his tracks, Remus look to the side to see Hagrid, the Hogwarts gatekeeper heading for them across the lawn.

Beside him Aaron looked in a state of shock. Remus quickly put a hand on his arm.

"It's all right, Aaron." Remus told him softly. "That's Hagrid. He's a friend."

Aaron said nothing as the gatekeeper stepped up to the strange group.

Hagrid looked them over for a minute. "Here now," He said finally, "didn't 'spect to be seein' you, Professor Lupin." He frowned slightly as his gaze settled on the man next to Remus, as well as the man he was holding in his arms. "Or Sirius Black. And who all we have here?" He asked, looking over the rest of the group again.

Remus recovered himself as best he could. 'Hagrid," he said quickly, "I don't have a lot of time to explain. We need to get to the castle and see Professor Dumbledore as fast as possible. It's very important."

Hagrid looked over the four again. "All right." He said with a slight nod. "I suppose it'll be all right. Take ya' all to the Headmaster and let him sort things out." 

With that Hagrid reached down and took Sirius, who was for all appearances, still unconscious, from Dr. Richards. Once he had him settled in one arm, Hagrid reached down and took Harry from Remus. He quickly smiled at the baby who was staring at him with his large green eyes and his mouth hanging open.

"Awww, I'd recognize those eyes anywhere." Hagrid beamed at the tiny infant. "How are ya', Harry. Staying with your Uncle Remus now, are ya'? Better for ya' I'd say. Never did think much of....."

"Hagrid!" Remus interrupted, looking around nervously. "We really need to get going."

"Oh, right." Hagrid stated. "All right then, you lot. Lets go."

If Remus and Aaron thought they were running before, it was almost nothing as trying to keep up with the half-giant as he hurried across the castle grounds. But at least they had been relieved of their burdens and that made things a bit easier going.

Fifteen minutes later Remus and Aaron stood before Professor Dumbledore with Hagrid standing beside them still holding Sirius and Harry. 

Remus was hastily pouring out his story to the Headmaster. He wasn't as worried as much about the ministry anymore as he was about getting Sirius under Madam Pomfrey's care. From his days at Hogwarts, he had come to swear there wasn't anything that Poppy Pomfrey couldn't heal or mend. And between the Head Nurse and Aaron, Remus felt Sirius couldn't be in better hands. 

"Well now," Dumbledore said, stroking his beard as he looked over the group before him, "this is a turn of events, Remus." He said with a slightly bemused smile. "I suppose the first order of business should be getting Mr. Black to the infirmary. Hagrid, would you assist Dr. Richards with that."

"Aye, Professor Dumbledore." Hagrid replied. Leaning down, Hagrid returned Harry to Remus, then turned and headed with Sirius towards the infirmary.

"Oh, and Dr. Richards," Dumbledore put in as Aaron started to follow Hagrid down the corridor.

Aaron turned back to the Headmaster. "Yes, sir?"

"Just a word of warning. Our Head Nurse can be a bit....territorial. Don't take offense at it, please."

Aaron smiled slightly and nodded, then hurried after Hagrid.

When the others were gone, Dumbledore turned his attention back to Remus.

"Well, things have certainly gotten...interesting, Remus." Dumbledore said softly as he tickled Harry's chin.

The baby giggled and reached for the finger above him.

"I tried to protect what was mine." Remus answered. He really didn't have any better explanation for the Headmaster. So he fell back to the instincts of his other persona. 

Protect your own.

Dumbledore quickly waved off Remus' defensiveness.

"I'm not trying to set any blame here, Remus." He said. "I think you acted admirably considering the situation you were facing and the possible consequences of what you were doing. You did indeed 'protect what was yours'. I wouldn't have expected any less of you, Mr. Lupin." Dumbledore added with a small smile that reached to his eyes. "But for now, as that Sirius is being seen to, I would suggest we see if there isn't anything little Harry might want. I would suspect the child might be hungry."

Almost as though it were summoned magically, a small house elf suddenly materialized from, it seemed, out of no where.

"Ohhh, I would be most pleased than I could be to see to the infant, Sirs." The little elf stated with hopeful eyes. "House elves is especially good at taking care of babies. And there's is so little opportunities for us here at the castle, Sirs. The others is especially excited, Sirs. We already have a special meal prepared."

Dumbledore smiled pleasantly at the little elf, but Remus fixed it with a hard stare.

"I'll take care of Harry myself." He stated firmly, his protective nature coming to the forefront again. Once he was on a roll with it, it was sort of hard to turn off.

The elf took a step back, sensing the underlying nature of the man before him. "We was meaning no harm, Sirs." He stated quickly.

"I'm sure Mr. Lupin knows that, Tildy." Dumbledore assured the elf, casting a wary glance at Remus before smiling back down at the elf. "And I believe you'll find him most grateful for any help you and the others could give him. But Harry is to stay with Mr. Lupin unless he says so. You understand? And you tell the others I want them to make sure this child is watched and watched carefully. All right?"

The elf suddenly beamed at the Headmaster. "Oh, yes, Sirs." He gushed happily. "Tildy will tell them, Sirs. Tell them right now."

And with that the little elf seemed to disappear much as he had come. When you blinked, he was gone.

"They'll be a great help in keeping a watch on Harry." Dumbledore informed Remus. "And if you ever feel like giving them a special treat, just let them baby-sit. They'll chatter about nothing else for days."

Remus nodded slightly as he moved Harry up to his shoulder. "Right now, Albus," he said in a tired voice, "I think I'd like to check on Sirius, and then get Harry ready for bed. It's been a very long day for us."

"Of course. I'll show you to the infirmary and then....."

But Remus didn't seem to be listening anymore. His eyes suddenly widened as he stared at some unseen object before him.

"Oh no!" He stated abruptly, turning to Dumbledore. "James' cloak....and his wand. Sirius said he left them outside somewhere. But he never said where. If the ministry finds them......"

But Dumbledore quickly waved off Remus' concern. 

"The cloak and the wand were recovered the night Padfoot came to your house, Remus. The matter has already been taken care of, I assure you. So there is no need for concern. So, if you'd like to check on Sirius, I'll show you to the infirmary." 

Dumbledore led Remus to the infirmary, where he left him, telling him the house elves would be waiting to show him to where he and Harry would be staying when he was ready to leave.

Thanking Dumbledore, Remus stepped into the infirmary and over to the bed where Sirius was laying. Thankfully, since it was the spring holidays, and with most of the students gone, Sirius was the infirmary's only patient.

"How is he, Aaron?" Remus asked as he watched his friend busily checking over Sirius' still form.

"Not much better than when we left your house." Aaron replied. "Madam Pomfrey was a bit flustered at first, being asked to look after a wanted man. But I think I've explained the situation with Sirius adequately enough to her that she seems a bit more settled about things now. She also seems to be optimistic. Says Mr. Black has quite a sturdy constitution."

"Well," Remus replied with a slight smile, "Sirius was something of a favorite child during his school years to Madam Pomfrey. He kept her life interesting."

"So she says. From her opinion of things, it's a wonder he's survived as long as he has over the years. Apparently your boy here has a knack for getting into trouble."

"Always did." Remus replied, his smile fading slightly. "But he usually could get himself out of it as well."

"One would hope that's a trait he's managed to hold onto."

"One would hope."

"Well, tonight is going to be a 'wait and see night', Remus. I gave him a booster shot of antiboitics. Madam Pomfrey gave him a few potions. We'll just have to see how he responds to those and go from there."

Remus didn't move. He stood as still as stone at the end of Sirius' bed, staring down at his friend's still form.

"Remus?" Aaron prompted his attention away from the bed. "Go to bed. You need a good night's sleep."

Remus stood for a moment more, then nodded and left the infirmary.

Outside a small house elf showed Remus to a small suite of rooms that Dumbledore had set aside for them. They were comfortable enough, with a private room for Remus and a tidy little nursery for Harry. But as soon as the house elf left, Remus moved the crib into his own room, settling Harry into it before he went to bed himself.

Q&A

A Dog's Day

Nicky: I can not believe, and am so pleased, people are still reading this story. I worked very hard on it and really like it. Unfortunately, Aunt Rose isn't currently sceduled to make any more appearances. But that isn't to say she won't. 

Diamond

Nicky: Wow! Two in a row!

A lot of people liked the Snape/Lupin interaction, as they seem to in most of my stories. Although there was some head scratching in Fever and shouts of 'slash' (despite that that relationship was 100% NON-slash. P.A.R. doesn't write slash....yet.).

Actually, the next story between Snape and Lupin will be something of an epic. Not the Family Life kind of epic. But it will sort out for people their relation in 'the universe according to P.A.R.' (as opposed to 'the universe according to J.K. Rowling). 

I always thought Snape and Lupin had a good basis for a friendship, but that there would always be problems within it that they would have to deal with. The story, Proper Friends, takes up some of those issues, and, as I said, sort of helps sort out the relationship a bit better for people. Unfortunately the story isn't due out until probably late in the year, if it makes it out this year at all. But I hope it lives up to your expectations when it does come out.

ironic echoes: Thank you so much. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Family Life - Chapter One

Su-Su: Oh dear! I do hate to see people review this particular chapter. I always wonder if they ran across it among the other stories, or on my bio. page. If the former, you have no way of knowing this story is finished. You'll just think I never bothered past chapter one. If the latter, well, then you know.

Family Life - Chapter one, if you're curious (if not, ignore this), was the first story I ever posted on Fanfiction.net. It is left up, therefore, for sentimental reasons. But all 49 chapters are posted on my bio page under the heading of Family Life.

Are you aware, by the way, that you wrote that approximately 100 times? P.A.R. is impressed!

Family Life

Celtic Ember: Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed it. And yes, Family Life is being sequeled in the story Family Relations and Family Ties, due out hopefully in summer, 2002.

rowan: I am, actually, writing quite a few Harry Potter fanfictions right now. Not the least of which is, yes, a sequel to the story Family Life (see Celtic Ember's answer above).

And I'm always happy to hear from satisfied readers. Thank you!

The Bonds That Tie

Me: Yup! You were late. Sorry. But look on the bright side of life, Brain! You're first this time.

Anyway. Yeah, flu does seem to get around. And to have caught it just as the season is ending? Bummer!

A LITTLE harsh?! I have never had a character that so MANY of my reviewers attacked as a single body before Richards. Not even Katlin! And by heavens, you people LIKED her. She was a Deathereater, for heaven's sake!!!!!!!

Rude and self-centered? Haven't been in the presence of many doctors, have you? Seriously, he's really a very nice person. Give him a chance.

You're not sure of I'm talking about Sirius or Harry? Oy! You really missed the old boat there. The question was directed at Remus. But, my fault. I wasn't very clear on that. A lot of people missed what 'former' patient I was talking about.

So, off we go.

1. No.

2. No.

3. Ahhh...., no.

4. Oh, now we're on the right track!

5. I don't have the opinion that people are friends with the werewolf that bites them, no.

6. Hey! I like that scenario!

Not even ONE! Not ONE STINKING TISSUE?! LOOK! I have a LOT of stock in Klennex right now. So get out there and BLOW!

Actually, I'm not offended at all about the comment on my social life. I readily admit to having not only no social life, but no life at all. Can't afford one.

They probably would indeed have given him tomato juice or apple juice. DEFINITELY nothing with citric acid in it!

Oh dear. Gonna hafta fight on this one. O.K., I disagree on the CPR VS Rescue Breathing thing. If you want to get really technical, it wasn't either. Because neither was done properly. The purpose of what was done was solely to get Sirius to cough up the congestion in his lungs, since as things were, he couldn't breath at all. Until that was accomplished, he wasn't going to breath on his own again no matter what they did.

You wanna see blood and phlegm? Come over to P.A.R.'s house when she has a cold. That's ALL I'm hacking up, folks.

Nope. No pre-school. House elves!

There's life AWAY from the computer? Where!!!?

Spelling errors? Go read the bio page again.

O.K., other questions.

1. He's in good shape? Seriously, I can't answer that question right now another than to say 'he didn't'. And that might be a bit confusing.

2. To my knowledge about werewolves according to Rowling, no werewolf can change whenever they feel like it. But, yes, Remus is an animagus.

3. Spaced-out city.

4. That's a fairly literal explanation of what Remus is experiencing. If you're trying to make some connection between his being 'pulled into darkness' and some sinister force, don't. And that's all I'm gonna say about that.

Wow! Suppositions! I like those almost as much as questions. They're LOTS of fun!

O.K., first off, you're assuming Aaron had something to do with the escape from Remus' house. As you can see from this chapter, he was just as baffled by the occurrence as Remus was. (And just a little help here for those of you that read these things, I will say that no, it wasn't Dumbledore either. But you can safely assume Dumbledore knows WHO was responsible.) 

What do you think Dumbledore will do? TELL the ministry Sirius is there? Heck no. Besides, Hogwarts is Dumbledore's territory. I would bet he could hide someone very well there if he wanted to. And the ministry could well get the right to search the castle, but like I said, I'm willing to bet Dumbledore could hide someone very well if he wanted to (or had to).

As to Family Life's sequel......heeheehee.....I LOVE people reading other's answers and finding stuff like that. And I'll say it again...what makes you think Voldemort is dead? I think I commented on this once before with someone else who said they thought Voldemort died a little too easily. No one else questioned that and I was surprised. I purposefully made his death seem very.....easy. There WAS a reason. 

As for the sequel to Family Life, I said it before and I'll warn you again. No, Sirius is not in the sequel, folks. Well, O.K. he's 'in' a few chapters. But for the majority of the story, nope. Conspicuous by his absence. Work on that one for the next few months.

Zimmy Russell: You and 'Me'. You guys see? You're late, you get missed. Sorry. But hey! I got two reviews this week from you. Yah, P.A.R.!

Sorry about the vacation thing. But I do need one to work on my other stories.

Slash, Dear, is a story that involves sexual content, explicit or implied, between two characters of the same sex.

I'm sorry, but whereas you guys only have to keep track of one question each time (your own), I have to do the whole thing (everybody's questions). So, in regards to your statement that you didn't get my question....ahhh, what question, Dear?

Ummmmm, yeah. P.A.R. is pretty darned sure she just offended most of her reading audience with the '18 and under' thing. 

I would pay good money right now to know who is playing Sirius in the third movie. I've heard a fair amount of rumors and suggestions. That is going to be one really hard casting job, and I sincerely hope the director (whoever does that installment) will continue to consult with Rowling on the matter.

You want a shocker? Try this one on for size. P.A.R. doesn't have one job. She has three.

Track away. I have the whole publishing industry to hide in. And the book was based on someone else's work. I'll say that much. Sort of like a fanfiction, but a good deal more complicated. I had to follow certain guidelines with the story.

Nope. Aaron Richards wasn't in Fever. But Fever and The Bonds That Tie aren't related in any way.

Hayleyhedwig 11: Ahhhhhh, a P.A.R. supporter on the 'Baby Harry not acting his age' thing. Thank you. And Harry's lack of ability to converse or walk will be addressed later.

HeeHeeHee! A question about Family Life's sequel. And one of my favorites. I like this question or anything even remotely similar. Sirius isn't IN Family Life's sequel. Well, O.K., he's sort of in the first few chapters, but I swear, that's it! 'Why' is a large part of the story. And despite what 'Me' said in that review, it has everything to do with the title. As does the third installment's title, Family Ties. Trust me.

And, yes, Harry and Arabella are in the story, as is Sirius brother, Orion. 

Oh, there'll be some bonding going on, but I'll stack every dime I have against it being the kind you're expecting.

Awwww, you like Sirius and Arabella? *P.A.R. gets misty eyed.* Thank you!

O.K., yeah, despite the story, I also have a hard time seeing Sirius with anyone really. I kind of like that 'loner' thing he has going on.

Essence of Magic: Ummmm, I think the first thing may be in question, Dear. I thought a few people beat you. Oh well. I can only go by how the reviews line up. I guess I really don't know who got there first.

Oh, good, one person who doesn't have to read the author's note, although I'm betting that's a little redundant now, right? Yes, Remus is an Animagus just like Peter, James, and Sirius.

Did who have to place the spell, Dear? And whoever it was, no, Remus can change back on his own.

I hope you'll live again. This one was also sort of short.

It was sort of a covert surveillance thing with the ministry. They were out there hidin' in the woods.

If you want to come with me on my vacation, cool. But I'm betting you'll be bored to tears. I'm just going to spend it like I spend most of my time. Either working or writing.

Teigra: Yes, Aaron Richards is a bonafide fangs, fur, teeth, and tail-wagging werewolf.

It wasn't mentioned before, which sort of sets the stage for how close to his vest Aaron keeps that little piece of information. Chances are, even the ministry doesn't know. And I'm tossing a coin right now to who else does know. But you can safely assume it isn't common knowledge. And I don't think there's any problem with him being a werewolf and a doctor since lycanthropy isn't spread by casual contact or contact between a doctor and a patient. At least not while he's in his human form. So patients are safe.

No, you didn't say anything bad. I think you just made a reference to 'bad P.A.R.' in regards to something in the story. I just felt like gripping at the moment, and your name was next.

Nicky: Probably won't be satisfied this week either, I'm afraid, as that this chapter is also short.

Aaron was sort of a 'study guide' for Remus and a help to his parents in helping the whole family deal with Remus' condition. That is how they know each other. Most doctor's won't treat a lycanthope for fear of infection. So a werewolf who can find a practicing physician who is also a werewolf is very fortunate. And actually, it may (or may not) be of interest to my faithful little readers out there, but Aaron Richards did not make his original appearance in this story as a werewolf. That was something I changed as I was posting the story, and made adjustments as needed.

Oh dear. Nothing for the vacation now. Well, there's a possibility I'll be posting a story or two (one shots) during my vacation. I do have some ideas in mind and one story is completed. So you will get at least one.

Alexa Black: In the words of one of my favorite characters, dear old Katlin, now where's the fun in torturing someone long distance? And how can I say if everything will be O.K.? Sorry. Just have to wait it out each week.

LauraBlade: Strange thing is, I usually don't do cliffhangers. But every now and then a chapter ends on one regardless.

Where in the books did you see that issue on werewolves not being able to become animagi? I don't remember it. But I'd like to know if it is in there. Let me know.

Starlight: Yup. Harry's still cute.

Thank you for your comments. I try to keep the characters 'in-character', or as much so as the story will allow.

Taracollowen: Yup. P.A.R. ain't much, but she's consistent! (Or she tries to be.)

Remus is an animagi, just like James, Sirius, and Peter. His animal persona is (naturally enough, I thought anyway) a wolf.

It was a 'character pat on the head' thing that Aaron stuck by his friend. But at this point I'm afraid poor old Aaron is in so deep it REALLY doesn't matter just 'how' deep anymore.

The fact that Aaron is a werewolf would actually work for him against the ministry. For one, the ministry doesn't KNOW he's a werewolf. Second, werewolves have stronger constitutions than the average person. The ministry would have a time of breaking him for information.

Thankfully for Sirius, Remus isn't 'out of the way'. He's still trudging along, trying to save his friend's life.

Oh my! Another one that reads the whole thing. (Stories longer or more interesting. Gotta do something. People are starting to read the whole of the Q&A for entertainment.)

Black Sparkles: *P.A.R. looks back innocently.* WHAT?

Yeah, Chamber of Secrets was all right, but no way does it stand against Prisoner of Azkaban. Still my favorite by far.

rupert grint or ronald weasely: Interesting question. I can take it a lot of ways. So, let's see.....How do I write such long chapters? No couldn't be that since this one was short by comparison.

Such long stories? I just don't know where to stop half the time.

Writing for nearly (if not over) three decades? I love to write. My first story, by the way, was when a teacher ask the class to each write our own ending to O'Henry's short story, The Lady Or The Tiger. While the rest of the class handed in a page or so, I handed in quite a few pages as I remember. Such started my writing career.

Kiara O. Lawrence: Now why is your being back an 'unfortunately' for me? that's one more review I get to read! And thanks for the review. Let me know if you ever get that thought back.

Wolf!

I did say that a story finding your anguish limit was a sign of the Apocalypse. And since the world didn't end (so that you'd notice, anyway), one can assume that, try as I may, I haven't found your limit yet.

Ohhhhhh! Questions! Goody!

Remus can change because he's an animagus. Go read the author's notes if you haven't already.

I am SO glad people accepted the Aaron Richards thing so well. I was a bit worried. But everyone seems to have liked it.

There's not really THAT many ministry people there. You're looking at a handful at best. Say 6-10. They got there that fast because they set up camp fairly early (before Sirius arrived) and never left. They've been 'staking out' Remus' house. Bad old ministry!

The fact that the man was knocking on the door just as they were planning to make a run for it was pure coincidence. And really rotten timing for poor Remus.

MKH: I'm not sure I'm gonna talk to you or not. Not sharing your star with Karla and all.

But darn it! You asked questions, and I can't resist answering. (Forgive me, Karla.)

Remus is not performing an 'at will' werewolf transformation. He didn't transform into a 'werewolf'. He transformed into a 'wolf'. Big difference.

The doctor did apparate. But each time he came in the front door. They escaped out the back. So he would have no way of knowing where the anti-apparation fields are in the back of the house. And since anti-apparition fields are set up to shield an area, like a yard or so, I would assume they are not symmetrical, as that few yards are. More likely they are set to run with the perimeter. Also, Remus helped set up the anti-apparation fields around his own house, as he says in this chapter, but even he didn't know they didn't end where he thought they did. So you can safely assume the ministry moved them as part of they're trying to trap Sirius.

Why not use a summoning spell for the blanket? That one's easy. I wanted Aaron out of the room right then. So I sent him to fetch the blanket. (Ain't being the author great?)

Floo network? Nope. Sorry. No floo network hook up. And no, Dumbledore didn't come by floo powder the first time. If you'll remember, Remus let in him the front door. He apparated.

The decision to leave was very sudden on Remus' part. He had no time to create a port key. And between having to create a port key, or just apparating, apparating is easier. And even if they had had a port key, the anti-apparation spells would have dictated they had to be outside of them to use the port key just the same.

HeeHeeHee! I LOVE guesses. But sorry. Nope. Remus was not saved by someone using a port key.

How come when you enter my name in the author box you can't get me? I'd love to know the answer to that one myself. The only way I can get to my own bio page is by the directory.

baasheep: I love people coming on to this story ready to confess to being repentant reviewers. Awwwww, one less anonymous hit on my statistic page. Oh well.

Again, just to keep the record straight and not get myself in any trouble with my reviewers who might have the wrong idea. Fever is not being sequeled. Only Family Life is currently being sequeled.

Of course Harry's not doing much! (Child labor laws.)

Harry's crying having saved Sirius' life is completely open to reader interpretation, by the way.

As you can see from this chapter, old Remus is still alive and growling.

Oh, dear. You....ahhhhh......have heard about the little vacation thing P.A.R. is taking from fanfiction.net, right?

summersun: No, Dear. You didn't miss a big chunk of this story. P.A.R. forgot to publish a notation with this story that was 'sort of' important. And with that may I direct your attention to the author's notes if you haven't already perused them for the answer to your question. If you'd rather not bother, then here's the short version. Wasn't a full moon. Remus didn't transform into a werewolf. Transformed into a wolf. (Big difference.) The man is an animagus.

Hey, Whisp!

Nope. No summoning and no tracker thing. (What is that, anyway?)

You got issues with poor old Remus, girl. You know that? If there's trouble in one of my stories, you jump on poor Remus like he was a trampoline. HONESTLY! The man is one of the good guys! Maybe one day I'll write a story where he's not, just to mess with you.

Ohhhhhh, green paper! P.A.R. likes the green paper with the pretty pictures on it. 'Specially the ones with Mr. Jackson on them. P.A.R. can never get enough of those! (But honestly, who can?)

Voltora: Way to go Aaron! I suppose this means I'll have to keep him as a continuous character?

Actually, the fact that so many people jumped to the wrong conclusion about Richards I haven't decided is a good thing or a bad thing. Was I honestly able to baffle you guys that much, or was I honestly just not that clear?

Actually, if I'm not mistaken, if you didn't pick up that Aaron was a werewolf from the comments in the story (and you don't read the author's notes or the Q&A), you would never get it, because I don't think it's ever stated outright in the story that he's a werewolf.

Nope. Can't answer those type of questions. Sorry.

Karla: No, no, Dear. No 'hit-wizards'. Just the usual bag of ministry idiots.

I HOPE we're going with possibility five here. Although the others weren't bad guesses at all.

STUPID MOVE? *P.A.R. glares a little at Karla.* Hey! The man was under stress after all!

The floo thing? Remus' house is protected by wards and spells that prevent access to the floo network.

Your whole group of questions there about Remus' 'capture' I can't answer because you're making one very incorrect assumption (And you're not alone, by the way.). You're assuming Remus was captured by the ministry at the end of the last chapter. As you can see from this chapter, that was not the case.

Actually, with the werewolf thing, I follow the idea that werewolves (emphasizing the 'wolves' part here) are pack animals. Whereas they do not mix well with other humans as a general rule, since the two are enemies by nature, I would think they would find common ground among their own kind. Besides, how would a werewolf learn 'werewolf things' if not from other werewolves. I mean, you can only get so much from a book.

Richards caring and worrying about Remus comes from the fact that he's known him so long. Also, there wasn't as much 'caring and worrying' in there as you might have thought. Sometimes P.A.R. is too subtle for her own good. A lot of what was going on there was a older male pack member trying to talk sense to what should have been a more submissive younger male. But when have we ever known Remus to back down when his friends were involved?

Yes, indeed, Family Life's sequel, Family Relations, deals in part with the relationship between Sirius and his older brother, Orion. But I never said in order to do that that Sirius had to be present, now did I? HeeHeeHee!

Ohhhh, I can't tell you how many times I have done that! Worked on a review only to lose the connection and due to a stupid move on my part, kiss my work 'good-bye'. It is very frustrating! So I sympathize with you fully on that.

Oh, by the way, MKH says they're not going to share the gold star with you from last week, so (*), P.A.R.'s going to give you your very own. Enjoy!

connie: O.K., we'll do this one at a time to keep it straight. First, what happened to Remus is a large part of the story and will be explained later. Second, yes, Aaron Richards is a fang, fur, teeth, and tail-wagging werewolf. Third, no, it was not a full moon. Remus transformed under his own power as an animagus (see the author's notes). Last, Aaron became friends with Remus and his family when he stepped in to help a then very young Remus adjust to his new state as a werewolf after Remus was first bitten.

Better?

All reviews are as of 03232002. If I missed you, remember, extortion can be a lucrative thing. Hope to see you next week. 


	13. Chapter Eleven A Long Talk In The Night

A/N: HAPPY EASTER, guys!

A longer chapter.

Also, we need to have another talk.

O.K., everybody gather round, because today P.A.R. is going to teach you a new phrase. The phrase is 'Continuity Error'.

What does that mean? Well, it means P.A.R. put in the last chapter Hagrid calling Remus 'professor' when this story is set in the past and, therefore, before Remus was a professor at Hogwarts to our knowledge.

THEREFORE, this week gold stars are going out to all those of you who caught that and mentioned it. So, Peacockgirl, Nicky, Karla, and Black Sparkles, (*,*,*,*), enjoy those gold stars!

On with the story.

Enjoy.

Chapter Eleven: A Long Talk In The Night

The next several days at Hogwarts were anything but smooth.

Dumbledore managed to way-lay the ministry searching the school, stating at first that with the students returning it would be too disruptive. By the time they were finally admitted, with all the spells in place around Sirius and the others, a hundred fully equipped Aurors would have had a tough time locating any one of them.

For Remus, he suddenly found himself a full time parent to Harry, who was getting more irritable by the day that he wasn't with Sirius. 

Remus did his best to allow Harry time with Sirius. But that wasn't the problem. Nor was it any restrictions placed on Sirius by Madam Pomfrey or Dr. Richards. 

The problem.....was Sirius.

Remus did his level best to let Harry see his godfather whenever he could. But every time Remus would take Harry to see him, Sirius all but ignored his godson. If Harry insisted on playing, Sirius complained of being tired and had Remus take him away. He refused any offer Remus made to let him feed Harry, or spend any time alone with him at all. From Remus' point of view, Sirius was simply shutting his godson out of his life.

But it wasn't just Harry Sirius seemed to have lost interest in. It was life in general. Remus was constantly getting complaints from Madam Pomfrey and reports from Aaron that Sirius was refusing to cooperate with his treatment. Now that he was at Hogwarts and under constant medical attention, his recovery should have been assured. But Sirius was being anything but the ideal patient. 

And so it was that Remus found himself prodded by Aaron to see if he could find out why Sirius had suddenly decided to, for all intents and purposes, give up.

Sirius was laying in his bed in the infirmary when Remus arrived, as he had been since they arrived at Hogwarts. According to Madam Pomfrey and Aaron, he rarely left it and spent the majority of his time either sleeping or staring at the ceiling.

"So, Sirius," Remus began as he pulled a chair up next to Sirius' bed, "how are you this morning?"

Sirius turned just enough to look over at Remus, then turned back to the ceiling. "Where's Harry?"

"He's on his way to Voldemort. Sent him there myself this morning."

Sirius sighed quietly as he closed his eyes. "That isn't funny, Remus." He stated firmly.

"Well, I wasn't sure you even cared anymore. You've hardly given the poor child a second look the past few days."

Sirius didn't give any answer, but went back to silently staring at the ceiling.

Remus sighed to himself. This was living up to all his expectations of how much fun it would be.

"Sirius, Madam Pomfrey and Aaron asked me to come talk to you."

"I'm tired, Remus. Can't this wait?"

Remus felt his temper start to rise already. That was Sirius' standard answer when he didn't want to do something since they had arrived at the castle. 'He was tired'.

"You know, Sirius." Remus stated in a level tone. "I'm getting very weary of hearing this from you. 'I'm need to sleep. I need my rest. I need quiet.' All I've heard for days is what you need. And I think it's long past time that we talk about someone else's needs for a while. Mainly, your godson."

Sirius sighed again and turned his head to the side.

"You're not shutting me out, Sirius." Remus stated firmly. "You can lay there and pretend that you are. But you are going to listen to me."

Sirius turned back to him. "Fine." He stated just as resolutely. "Talk. Keep me up half the day for all I care. What is it to you if I don't get my rest?"

Remus looked stunned. "Don't even start this with me!" Remus replied. "From what I've heard from Madam Pomfrey and Aaron, you have hardly been the model patient. According to them you haven't even been trying to get better. If anything, you've been fighting them every inch of the way."

"I've been doing what they say, Remus." Sirius answered, turning back to the ceiling again.

"Right." Remus said. "That's why I get nothing but complaints from both of them about your behavior and your attitude. They say you aren't trying, Sirius. That you act like.....like you don't want to get better." Remus' voice softened suddenly. "They say you act like a man who wants to die, Sirius."

Sirius closed his eyes, saying nothing in reply and confirming Remus' worst suspicions about his friend's actions.

"Sirius, why are you doing this?" Remus asked quietly. "Tell me that much."

Remus almost didn't expect a reply. But Sirius slowly opened his eyes again as he continued to stare at the ceiling with a blank, expressionless stare. "Doesn't matter, Remus." He replied softly.

"What do you mean? What doesn't matter?"

"They all think I killed James and Lily."

The statement shocked Remus. "They?" He asked. "Who's 'they', Sirius?"

"Everyone." Sirius replied in a tired voice. "I listened to them at the ministry. They questioned me. Asked me what I knew about what happened to the Dursley's house. If I had done it. Why had I done it? And then...then they started asking me questions about James and Lily. Was I their secret keeper? Was I Deatheater? Did I serve Voldemort? How long had I been a Deatheater. Did I know other Deatheaters? Was I willing to help the ministry convict other Deatheaters. In less than five minutes I went from a suspected Deatheater, to a fully accredited one. Which was a good thing, mind you, because my attention span wasn't that great right then." He added quickly. Sirius took a deep breath as he closed his eyes. "Then they started again about James and Lily. Why did I betray my best friend? Why hadn't Voldemort killed Harry? Where was he now? 

They were absolutely certain I had been the one responsible for James and Lily's deaths. 

And others have heard it too. And now everyone thinks I'm some murderer who betrayed his friends to the dark lord. All of them. Even Dumbledore." Sirius turned his head to look at Remus. "Even you." He said softly.

Remus looked shocked. "Sirius, I do not think you had anything to do with what happened to James and Lily. Nor does Dumbledore. Would he have let me bring you here if he did? He'd have left you on the doorstep with 'Good Riddance' tattooed on your forehead."

"Wouldn't be right for Harry." Sirius replied in the same soft voice.

"What wouldn't be?"

Sirius took a breath. "Being raised.....by the man everyone thinks killed his parents. He'd....he'd hear stories.....and he'd wonder."

"And he wouldn't care, Sirius. He would know they were lies."

Sirius shook his head. "He's better off, Remus. He has everything he needs now. I've made sure of that. He has a home. Someone to take care of him. Someone who'll love him as much as I would have."

"Someone?" Remus asked in a puzzled tone. "You can't mean me."

"I know you'll take good care of him, Remus. I know you'll raise him right. And he'll be happy with you."

Remus suddenly got to his feet and stood over Sirius' bed, leaning over his friend with a hand on either side of him and a stern look on his face.

"Now you listen to me, Padfoot!" Remus stated firmly. "It isn't just you anymore. You understand that? You aren't making decisions just for Sirius anymore. You have a re-spon-si-bi-li-ty now. Understand! And it goes by the name of 'Harry'. You took responsibility for that child the day you took him from Godric's Hollow. You are now his guardian, Sirius. Just as James and Lily wanted you to be. So, I am very sorry if that interferes with your plans to lay down and die right now. Because I'm afraid you're going to have to put those off for about the next seventeen years. You have a child now, like it or not, who depends on you. You are not just going to ignore that."

Remus pulled back, raking his hands through his brownish-blond hair as he walked about the small room.

"I can't believe you were even thinking this." He started again. "You're treating that child like he is some....possession you just don't want anymore. Something to discard because you're bored with it."

The statement seemed to raise some of Sirius ire as he pulled up slightly in the bed. "That's not true, Remus!" He stated, collapsing back onto the bed in exhaustion. "I.....I'm taking care of Harry. I'm doing what I promised James I would. Take care of his son. And Harry will be fine with you."

"With one small exception." Remus replied, storming back over to the bed. "He doesn't want me, Padfoot. He wants you!"

"He's a baby, Remus." Sirius replied in a now calmer voice. "Give him time and he'll forget me."

"That's what you told me in the ministry jail. Remember?" Remus replied, now also in a calmer tone. "And did he, Sirius? He went crazy when he saw you again."

"One day."

"I don't care if it's a hundred. That child wants you. Not some substitute. He loves you."

"And not everything you want is good for you, Remus. I'll just make a mess out of his life if I try to raise him. Harry needs a stable home."

"Why can't he have that with you?"

"Where have you been, Remus?" Sirius asked in an irritated voice. "I'm wanted by the ministry for the murder of his parents."

"For questioning, Sirius! You haven't been convicted of anything."

"People aren't interested in the truth when the rumors are better, Moony. You know that. What's more interesting? That a bunch of Deatheaters killed another man and woman, or a young couple were betrayed by their best friend?"

"Then you'll just have to convince them otherwise."

Sirius suddenly got a strange look on his face. "You believe me, don't you, Moony?"

"What?"

"You believe me. I mean, really believe me. That I didn't have anything to do with James and Lily's murders."

"Sirius, of course I believe you. But I'm not the problem right now. And I'm not going to lie to you about it either. Convincing the rest of the world isn't going to be so easy. The rest of the world isn't your best friend."

"Are you saying that's the only reason you believe me?"

Remus paused for a moment. "I'm saying it helps." He replied finally. "Because I know you. And I know you're no murderer."

Sirius sighed as he turned back to the ceiling. "And that's just what Harry will hear his whole life, Remus. His godfather is a murderer."

"Well, he won't be hearing it from the people that matter to him."

Sirius suddenly began coughing. A spell that lasted a good minute or more. Remus was just about to call Madam Pomfrey when it stopped as abruptly as it had started, leaving Sirius wheezing and gasping for breath.

Remus stared at his friend with a worried expression.

"Sirius...."

Sirius put a hand up. "Remus, I'm really very tired. Can we please not talk about this anymore?"

Remus sighed quietly. He supposed he had given Sirius enough to think about for one day.

"All right. I'll let you get some rest. But know that we aren't done with this, Sirius. I'm not letting you give up."

Sirius watched as Remus left the infirmary. Why couldn't he just accept this? It would make it so much easier. And why was he so adamant to fight it? He was getting Harry in the bargain. What more could anyone want than to have a child like him?

Sirius sighed to himself as he rolled over in the bed. The coughing fit had left him exhausted, as they always did. Shortly Madam Pomfrey would be by with another of her potions, trying to convince him to take it. Another day, maybe two, perhaps even that night, and it wouldn't matter anymore. Then they would have no choice but to accept his decision. And Harry would have everything he needed to have a long happy life without a godfather that would do nothing but mess it up for him.

James and Lily had made a poor choice. There was no doubt of that. And it was up to him to set things right. 

Sirius woke up to someone softly calling his name. He tried to focus on the sound, but it wasn't easy. A thick haze seemed to have settled on his brain from both the illness and the lack of sleep. He hadn't been able to get any rest at all that day as Remus' accusations kept chasing around in his head. He had thought about asking Madam Pomfrey for a potion to help him get to sleep, but had finally decided against it. If this turned out to be his last night on this earth, he didn't want to spend it in some potion-induced sleep. But finally, long after the castle had settled down for the night, Sirius had managed to drift off for what he hoped would be a few hours at least. But now someone else was there to interrupt his few peaceful hours in oblivion. 

"Come on, Sirius." The voice prodded. "I haven't got all night. And we need to have a talk."

Sirius slowly opened his eyes slightly, only to be greeted by a very foggy figure leaning next to him by the bed. Sirius blinked his eyes several times to try and bring the shape better into focus. But nothing seemed to help.

"Wh....who are you?" Sirius finally asked.

The figure sighed in annoyance. "I told them not to do this. That the whole fuzzy, ethereal figure thing just doesn't work. But nobody listens to me. O.K., hold on." The figure stated, pulling back a bit. "I can fix this myself."

Sirius watched as the image slowly began to come into sharper view. But he quickly decided he far preferred the original, since as the figure began clearer, so did the disappointment on its face. 

Sirius stared wide-eyed at the figure now leaning next to his bed.

"J.......James?"

"Good you remember me, Sirius."

Sirius scooted back a bit in the bed. "B...but........but you're...." Sirius quickly buried his face in his pillow. "You're not real." He stated firmly, though it was muffled against the pillow.

"I'm sure you'd like to think that, Sirius." James replied in a slightly harsh tone. "But you can't deny me. I'm standing right here."

Sirius rolled back over in the bed and turned to face James. "I'm ill." He stated decisively at the figure. "That's all you are. A delusion brought on by the illness."

James snorted. "Right. Of all the things your fever-racked brain could have conjured up, it chose me? The person you'd least like to see?"

Sirius squinted his eyes to focus better on his friend. "Least?" He asked.

"That would be my bet, Sirius, seeing as you're doing everything in your power to break your promise to me."

"Promise?"

"Harry, Padfoot. You remember my son, don't you? You promised me you'd look after him. Now what's going on?"

Sirius slowly shook his head. "I'm not breaking my promise to you, James. I'm taking care of him."

"By handing him off like a muggle football to the first person you think you can? Great job, Padfoot."

"I'm doing what's right." Sirius protested.

"You're doing what's easy." James shot back at him.

"No."

"Yes! If I had wanted someone else to raise my son, I wouldn't have made you Godfather, Padfoot. But I chose you. For a reason!" James stood back up with his arms folded across his chest. "I never thought, not even once, that you didn't love him enough to want him, Sirius."

"No, P...Prongs, I do love him. Bu....but I can't raise him."

"Why not?"

Tears quickly came to Sirius' eyes. "I tried, James. You must have seen. Bu....but I failed......miserably. Surely you saw?"

"What I saw, Padfoot," James replied, "was all the reasons coming to light that I did choose you. Every one of them being justified. I saw how hard you tried. How much you cared. How much you sacrificed. All to keep my son safe."

"I did try, Prongs. I tried very hard."

James expression softened slightly as he crouched down next to the bed, caressing a hand over his friend's fever dampened hair. "And you did so very well, Padfoot. Why are you giving up now?"

Sirius smiled sadly at his friend. "Because I can't anymore, Prongs. I'm sick. They.....they say I'm going to die."

If Sirius had expected the announcement to elicit sympathy from James, he couldn't have been more wrong.

"You say you're going to die, Padfoot." James stated sharply. "You simply have your mind made up already. You've just given up, that's what you've done. Just like Moony said."

Sirius stared back at James past his tears.

James softened his tone again as he leaned closer to Sirius. "Padfoot, I know you're tired. And I know how easy giving in would be right now. But my son needs you. Please. Don't give up yet."

Sirius stared at James for a moment, then suddenly rolled over in the bed away from him. "I don't even know why I'm talking to you." He stated. "You're not even real."

"Back to that, are we?" James asked. "Sirius, I am real."

Sirius turned back over to face him. His expression completely neutral.

"James, you're dead. So you can't be real."

James expression was just as neutral. "And sometimes, Sirius, the rules get broken because the situation demands it. Come on! You're familiar enough with breaking rules. You're a marauder."

Sirius turned away from him again, a coughing spell seizing hold of him.

"Go away, James," Sirius stated past gasps of air as the coughing subsided, "I'm tired and I want to sleep."

"Sirius," James said in a very solemn tone as he leaned towards his friend, "You have to listen to me. If you go to sleep, you're not going to wake up, you understand? Not this time. Not is we don't finish this."

"Finish?"

"Sirius, Harry needs you. Don't you understand that?

"James, don't worry about Harry. He'll be fine. I have it all worked out."

"Really." James stated skeptically.

"Yup. So stop worrying. Hey!" Sirius' expression brightened a little. "Where's Lily? Do I get to see her to as part of this delusion?"

"Lily's seeing Harry. She's coming."

"Be good to see her. I miss her too, you know?"

Just then a pretty red-haired woman appeared behind James.

"That's good to hear, Sirius." Lily said with a soft caring smile as she slowly sat down on the edge of the bed. "It's nice to know you miss me."

"How was Harry?"

Lily gave Sirius a warm smile. "He's fine, Sirius. You've done such a wonderful job taking care of him. Of my son. He's healthy. He's happy. He's everything I wanted for him. And I have you to thank for that."

"Not for much longer." James stated bluntly.

Lily turned abruptly to her husband. "What do you mean?"

"Padfoot's decided he doesn't want the job anymore, Lily." James explained to her.

"Not....?" Lily turned quickly back to Sirius. "Sirius?"

Sirius rolled his eyes and turned over in the bed once more. "I'm arguing with shadows again." He mumbled.

But Lily grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back to face her. "Sirius, what does James mean? You're not leaving my son?"

"Lily, don't worry." Sirius assured her. "Remus will take care of him. He'll adopt Harry."

Lily looked nearly beside herself at the suggestion. "Sirius! He can't!"

"Can't?"

"Remus is a werewolf, Sirius! They don't let werewolves adopt children!"

"What?"

James stepped up behind Lily. "Which means without you, Padfoot, Harry will go straight back to Lily's sister. And where as I try to judge people fairly," he added with a slight shake of his head, "a bigger pack of muggles you won't find anywhere."

"But....but he can't go back to them!" Sirius looked positively terrified at the possibility.

"All right then, Padfoot." James stated. "Maybe we can discuss what we're going to do here once more."

Sirius was still staring at Lily's stricken face, which was starting to show signs of tears in her large emerald eyes.

Sirius reached up and brushed one of the tears away as it started to fall.

"Don't cry, Lily." He pleaded softly. "You know what that always does to me. I could never stand to see you cry."

"You?" James stated with a huff. "What about me? How do you think she got that really ugly painting hanging in the hallway at the house?"

Sirius suddenly smiled at the memory. "You mean that one that looked like...?"

Lily cut him off quickly. She knew exactly what Sirius thought the painting looked like, and it wasn't anything repeatable. 

"That was a beautiful piece of art work." She defended. "Just because you two couldn't appreciate it...."

"Lily," James informed her, "no one who came in the house could appreciate it."

"My mother and father loved it!"

"Well, Dear," James said sympathetically, "those were the people who also made you all you are. So it's only natural they would also appreciate ugly art."

Lily huffed at him. "James," She stated aloofly, "talk to your friend." She then abruptly vanished.

Sirius looked around quickly.

"Oh, she'll be back." James stated as he took her place on the side of the bed. "She's just gone off to see Harry again. She's absolutely wild about being able to talk to him."

"He's a baby." Sirius frowned.

"And you'd be amazed at what they understand, Padfoot. Trust me on that one and remember it."

Sirius sighed as he settled under the covers. "What time is it anyway?"

"It's about three in the morning. Which is why we have to get this settled, Padfoot. I don't have a lot more time. Now, Sirius...."

"There's nothing to settle, James." Sirius cut him off abruptly. "It's already been decided."

"Sirius, please listen to me for a minute...." James pleaded.

"James?"

"Sirius, please, just...."

But Sirius had already worked the problem out to it's only possible solution. "James, I'm keeping Harry."

James stopped short. "Wh....what?"

"I'm keeping him, James. If I survive this, I'm keeping Harry. He'll stay with me." Sirius pulled the covers back over him. "Honestly! What sort of godfather do you think I am?"

Sirius found himself suddenly grabbed in a tight hug. "The best, Sirius! The very best! Merlin's Beard! I knew I made the right choice. I knew you wouldn't leave Harry to those muggles no matter what."

Sirius quickly wiped a hand over his eyes as James let him go. "Rubbish!" He stated as firmly as he could. "I told you, I just can't stand to see Lily cry."

"And you don't need to worry about 'surviving'." James said as he stood back up.

Sirius looked up at him. "Well, I think it would help looking after Harry if I was alive, Prongs." Sirius' face suddenly brightened again. "Or do I get to be like a spirit guide or something? That could be interesting."

James shook his head with a smile. "Sorry, Padfoot. My son needs a 'live' person looking after him."

Sirius shook his head. "I don't know then, James. Madam Pomfrey's doing her best, and this doctor of Remus' seems fairly competent, but...." Sirius suddenly stopped as another coughing spell took hold of him.

James reached over and pulled Sirius' arms back from where he had them wrapped tightly across his chest. He laid his hand on Sirius' chest and almost as abruptly as it had started, the coughing stopped.

Sirius laid in the bed for a moment, a stunned look on his face as he stared up at James. But suddenly he felt the coughing coming back. It started deeper in his chest than before and built itself up until he was hacking over the congestion in his lungs worse than he could ever recalled. Within seconds Sirius found himself coughing up the blood-tainted phlegm again. But he never remembered coughing up so much or it hurting so bad.

The seizure continued for several minutes. When it finally stopped, Sirius laid back on the bed again, gasping once more for air. But this time he found that breathing was easier than it had been in days, and it didn't hurt so much anymore.

"Merlin's Beard." He gasped as he lay with his eyes closed. "Please tell me we aren't going to do that again."

"That's up to you, Padfoot." James replied as Sirius opened his eyes and turned to him. "Or at least, I can promise we won't do that again." He added, pointing at Sirius chest. "I only get to do that once. But the rest is up to you, Padfoot. I can't cure you, but I can help you on your way."

Sirius frowned. "Well why didn't you bloody well just do that in the beginning?"

"Because I couldn't, Sirius." James replied. "'Rules', remember?"

"You also said rules were for breaking."

"Not this one, Padfoot. And this rule stated that the only way I could help you was if you were willing to help yourself. You had to show some sort of resolve to get better. You had to have some purpose. You couldn't go on just to keep feeling sorry for yourself. But you gave yourself a purpose. And you stated it very clearly. My son. You wanted to be there for Harry."

"So I get to live as long as I look after Harry?" Sirius asked, his brows coming together.

James shook his head. "It's not as simple as that, Sirius. And I could sit here the rest of the night explaining it to you, but tell me something?" He asked with a smile. "Would it honestly matter?"

Sirius thought for a moment. But finally he shook his head. "No. It wouldn't. If I have to be here for a reason," he said, "I can't think of a better one."

A woman's voice suddenly interrupted them past a small shriek as it echoed back into the room.

"Harry James Potter! Where did you learn to do that!?"

James barely had time to look behind him when Lily appeared back in the room, the stern look on her face directed at the man in the bed.

"Sirius Black!" She stated firmly with hands on hips. "What have you been teaching my son?!"

Sirius looked innocently at her. "Depends." He asked. "What did he do?"

"It was disgusting!"

Sirius raised his hand. "Oh. O.K., then. That was me. If it was in any way cute or adorable, then that was Remus' fault."

Lily shook her head, then turned to her husband. "Everything taken care of, I hope?"

James nodded. "Everything's fine."

Lily looked over the covers of Sirius' bed, which were less then pristine clean any longer.

"Oh...," she said softly, "that had to be nasty."

"Trust me. It was. And your husband's cures leave something to be desired, Lily, let me tell you." Sirius answered, shaking his head. "Do me a favor? Don't ever let him grow up to be a doctor."

Lily turned sharply to her husband. "Cures?" She asked. "James? What's he talking about. Cures? I thought you explained things to him."

"Things?" Sirius turned a questioning stare to James.

James paused for a minute. "You're not 'cured', Padfoot. Remember? I can't do that. I could only help you on your way. The rest has to be up to you. You have to work with those trying to help you now. You have to want to get better. You have to want to live."

"Harry's going to need you more than you know, Sirius." Lily said softly. "Please don't make him face his life alone. You will be able to do so much for him. Things no one else could. Please don't leave him alone."

"I won't, Lily." Sirius replied in a voice that was growing steadily more tired sounding. "You know that."

Lily leaned down and kissed Sirius on the cheek. "And stop teaching my son those things." She whispered as she pulled back.

"What things?" Sirius asked her with a wink.

Lily rolled her eyes to the ceiling and shook her head.

James took her place as he leaned down and kissed his friend's cheek as well. "You take care of yourself, Padfoot." He said quietly. "And raise Harry a true marauder." He added.

Lily sighed as her husband joined her. "Raise him 'proper', Sirius." She said.

"A 'proper' marauder." James added, giving Sirius a quick thumbs-up.

Sirius smiled back at his two friends.

"Oh, and one more thing." James said as Sirius watched the two figures start to fade. "Tell Remus 'he's welcome' for the rescue." He added with a quick wink, then disappeared.

Q&A

Family Life, Chapter One

Maab: Oh, Dear. Another one. I do hope you read these or have already discovered on my bio page that Family Life is completed. I think I'll have to bring that story up and make an adjustment in the summary. Anyway, thanks for the review.

Family Life

Hermione Gulliver: Well, not exactly every chapter, but I do appreciate the reviews. And, yes, Family Life is being sequeled. Twice, in fact. Family Life is a three story arc, at present. The first story is Family Life, followed by Family Relations and Family Ties. Family Relations should be out sometime this summer. Family Ties will likely not be out until next year.

Karla: Generally I try not to take sides, but I do hope that the fact that I gave you your very own gold star (since MKH would not share) will make amends. And I do applaud all those who remembered from back in A Dog's Day why Remus could transform even through it wasn't a full moon.

This chapter was sort of a breather for the readers. Especially since this one hit the ground running right out of the gate.

Dumbledore knew about James' invisibility cloak and wand since he was the one who gave them to Remus in the first place. He knew how to retrieve them because he was keeping watch over Sirius on his way to Remus', but wasn't interfering unless absolutely needed because he wanted to see how things played out. Sometimes you can learn the truth in a situation much more easily by watching the people involved than by questioning them.

Dumbledore didn't retrieve the invisibility cloak and wand from Remus', since that isn't where Sirius left them. He had left them further away, just in case the ministry was watching Remus' house, so they wouldn't be discovered and incriminate Remus.

Why Hagrid called Remus 'professor' is addressed in the author's notes.

How the got to Hogwart's is sort of explained in this chapter at the end.

I'm up to all sorts of things. Don't you know me by now?

Lotesse: Hmmmm? On vacation in Colorado? No computer, but snow, clean air, cool streams, and mountains.

Now, let see what P.A.R. did for Spring Break. Stayed home and worked.

You'll excuse me if I have trouble feeling sorry for you. Right?

Poor Remus is just a little stressed right now. He'll mellow out again.

A werewolf study-buddy. I like that.

In regards to Aaron Richards and a little background, I direct you to go see Taracollowen's answer below. It covers a great deal of information about the good doctor that isn't in the story.

How would you greet Hagrid upon realizing he's a friend that wouldn't range along the areas of 'OhthankGod!!!!'.

Well, for a much as Sirius has been out of the story, you should be in 'Sirius' heaven right now, seeing as he was the main topic of conversation in this one. And Harry will be making a return as well. It's those darned child labor laws, you understand. Can't work him too much.

Nagini: Not tellin'. HeeHeeHee. I will say this though, and maybe the problem was once again P.A.R. was too subtle for her own good. The answer to what's going on is in Family Life. Read the last few chapters again, folks. Especially The Spell. It's all there. There's a lot in those last few chapters. And when Family Relations comes out, you'll see just how important everything that happened there was.

Lin-z: Nonsense! I always miss my reviewers. Especially consistent ones, as you have been. And it's nice to have you back. I hope you enjoyed your holiday. As you can see from this chapter, whether or not Sirius gets better is very much going to be up to him.

Taracollowen: Sure there's a registry. But that doesn't mean every werewolf registers.

Aaron Richards is also not a wizard to be messed with, believe me. Keeping in mind that Aaron contacted Remus' parents soon after Remus was bitten, the most I can say about him is think of him as the underground railroad for werewolves looking to stay out of the hands (or under the thumbs) of the ministry. His least favorite supporter? Orion Black.

As to the 'who's getting captured' thing, lets go back to old Aaron Richards for a moment. Think about how he responded to two situations. One, that Remus was keeping a wanted fugitive (?) in his house and risking guilt by association. Aaron helps unregistered werewolves avoid such situations (getting into trouble with the ministry in any form), and here's Remus standing in the middle of that puddle of mud, perfectly happy to be there. Second, how he responded to helping Remus escape the ministry with Sirius and Harry. He wasn't the least bit flustered and seemed to know a good deal more about what to do than Remus. (Remember Remus was going to answer the door.) So one can safely assume that Aaron Richards has yet to encounter any new situations here. Meaning, the man's been in trouble before. After all, he's known by one of the higher ranking Unspeakables, Orion Black, and it isn't because he's on his Christmas card list.

Was any of this in the story? No. Was it in ANY story? No. It's just stuff about characters that gets left out due to time or late character expansion. It may or may not be relevant to other stories and may not show up at all. But...just to pass the time and clear some things up, there you are. And part of Aaron Richards past is briefly mentioned in Family Relations.

Oh, back to the 'capture' thing. In order for the ministry to tie anyone to a crime(?), they would have to have seen faces, and Aaron and Remus were far enough ahead of the ministry (and it was dark out) to not be seen. Could the ministry make educated guesses at who at least one of the people was? Sure. But it's not currently part of the plot.

Actually, I would think the opposite to be true about how happy someone would be in regards to the 'who gets captured' thing again. I would not like to think how 'happy' Aaron would be to see Remus caught. Aaron is, for all intents and purposes, and older male pack member. He's looking out for the welfare of a younger male (one who hasn't been listening to him up till now, by the way, and who he's probably about ready to slap). If that wolf were to be captured under his 'watch', things could get very messy when the older male tries to recover his captured pack member. And trust me, there's nothing in this world that wants to tangle with an older, really grouchy werewolf.

All in all though, I like the scenario you put down. it is very well thought out and shows some serious effort.

Someone else pointed out after you that this seemed to be a 'connection chapter', as you put it. Whereas I never plan on a chapter being one thing or another, the last two chapters have been little more than breathers. I mean, I though you guys could use one...or two, ya' know.

As for Dumbledore, you can safely assume a few things. He's getting suspicious that maybe Sirius actually didn't have anything to do with James and Lily's deaths or what happened to the Dursley's. He is the one who gave Remus James' wand and invisibility cloak, so he ahd no trouble recovering them. He knew where they were because he was watching over Sirius on his way to Remus' but didn't interfere as to stay inconspicuous in case something went wrong and he was needed. He knew Sirius was at Remus' house. He knew what was going on with Harry at the Dursley's, but was at the time powerless to do anything because he needed Harry where he was protected. And whereas the child wasn't particularly happy, he was safe. Dumbledore knows it was James who helped Remus, Aaron, Sirius, and Harry escape the ministry.

Personally, I think Colin Powell should be president. But that's just me. 

Teigra: I always considered it quite the idiot writer who writes back to her reviewers and cusses at them. So, no Dear. Whatever you said, whatever I said, take it tongue and cheek. That's how I'm usually writing things. Sometimes I forget you can't hear the tone I'm using when I say somethings. But always remember that I would never out and out attack or abase or abuse one of my reviewers. I try to hold to that rule in both my reviews and my answers. If I ever do, be proud, because you must have really had to work for it. Generally, if you're mean, I just ignore you in the answers section. If I do otherwise, as I said, it's not meant to be taken seriously.

Actually, apparently not as far fetched as you think since a few other people thought that it was Harry who rescued them from the ministry. But I will say, as that this chapter covered that, that no, it was no Harry. Cute idea though. But I just don't see Harry, no matter how special he may be, being able to apparate three adults and a baby to Hogwarts. Now, his father........!

Sirius may need all the help he can get, but his getting better is entirely up to him.

Essence of Magic: HEY! Ahem! I THOUGHT we learned a little something about 'innocent until proven guilty' this time 'round? 

Humf! Apparently NOT!

Anyway, just for calling me that, I won't tell you what happens to Sirius in Family Relations and why he's only in the first few chapters. (O.K., so it wasn't likely I'd tell you anyway, I'm trying to make a point here.).

Ten hours on a bus? Five stories to work on? Do you get car-sick, Dear? If not, I see opportunity knocking.

I hope this was better. It was longer.

Oh, and all they were shooting at Remus and Aaron during their escape were stunning spells and nasty things like that. Had they actually encountered the wolf (he was only a wolf, mind you, not a werewolf in his transformation), they would have had no idea it was an animagus and tried to transform him back.

Hey, Whisp!

Who DOESN'T love Remus? 

*Hand comes up in the back. P.A.R. quickly runs back and slaps that person into next week. Quickly comes back to the front of the room.* 

Anyone else? 

*Room gets very quiet.* 

I didn't think so.

Great, now people are killing time waiting for me to post. I don't really know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

Question. Was that in the Harry Potter books and if so, can you point me in the proper direction of where. If it wasn't, you see, I'm afraid I can't use it as that I am trying to stay as true to Rowling's canon on things like that as I can. Very cool if it is though.

MKH: aka Troublemaker.

Thank you for the reviews on Family Life and Diamond. So, female as well, huh? 

Nope, no Harry. Whereas he's an amazing kid to be sure, I just don't see a 9-18 month old apparating three adults and a baby to Hogwarts. But a lot of people went with that supposition.

Remus was a little stressed. Cut him some slack. Poor Remus would likely jump one of Santa's elves right now if the little bugger got too close to Harry. Remus is currently almost down to auto-pilot right now. He's running on little more than adrenaline and instinct. And instinct to Remus is 'protect'. Which he is doing.

No, Aaron did not attend Hogwarts.

Remus and his folks found out Aaron was a werewolf because he contacted them, not the other way around.

As for James' wand and cloak, who do you think gave them to Remus, anyway?

Anti-biotics are wonderful things. (Just a little overused.) I would think Aaron, like any good doctor, would use whatever worked.

Oh, come on. Give the poor author a break! I can't remember everything. You can safely assume Harry had his blanket before going to bed seeing as through most of the story it takes something just short of a crowbar to pry it out of the kid's hands.

I'm afraid I can't say about the motorcycle just yet, as that the story is only in production and is only about a third of the way done. As for Remus, yes, he is in Family Relations, although it's more of a supporting role, sort of like Family Life was. But I always can use a voice of logic every now and then, and Remus just fits that bill perfectly.

Sorry, no gold star this week. But feel free to keep begging, blackmailing, or bribing the author.

Hey, Wolf! 

Awwwwww, and this, folks, is why Wolf is one of P.A.R.'s favorites. Such kind words.

Well, it wasn't exactly a visit from Harry, but Sirius does seem on the road to recovery.

Peacockgirl: Thank you very much. And I hope you enjoy you're gold star. And thank you for the review on Diamond. I got a lot of non-Snape fans reading that one for some reason.

Catspook: Cute name.

But as you can read from my bio page, I never post uncompleted stories, nor do I write as I post. If I am posting a story, you can safely assume that the story will have an ending and that I won't desert you at some point and never finish it.

Nicky: Nope. Dumbledore had nothing to do with the escape as the end of this chapter showed, convoluted though it may have been.

Sirius is a bit more coherent in this chapter, so you can expect to see more of him in the next one as well.

As for Fever, a few people saw that relationship as slash, which it was not. They may be a cute couple in other stories, folks, but currently, not in mine.

I always saw an amazing amount of potential in Snape and Lupin being friends. But you're right, nearly killing your friend might put a damper on things a bit. Oddly enough, that is one of the chapters I have plotted out already for the story I'm doing on Snape and Lupin's friendship during their school days. That story is Proper Friends and will be out later this year or early next year. I sort of like the twist I gave that episode as to what really went on behind the scenes of the Whomping Willow incident. (Yes, I know, it's been done.)

A lot of people find it a bit odd that Sirius won't be in Family Relations more than a few chapters. But trust me, folks, there's a REALLY good reason for that scenario. But you'll have to wait and find out.

Sirius isn't in all of my stories. But he does rank VERY high on the P.A.R. favorite character list. But, actually, he is not in my next story, Enemies, at all. In fact, a few people may be disappointed in that story as that no original character from the Harry Potter series appears in that story at this point in time. So, if you're a die-hard Harry Potter character fan *P.A.R. looks disappointed.* , feel free to skip it.

Enjoy your gold star.

Starlight: I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter. Thanks for the review.

Phoenix: Harry makes an exceptionally cute baby to be sure. I don't know about other ages. But he's a cute baby. If you'd like other baby Harry stories, Trinity Day and Unicorn Whisperer have out unbelievably cute Baby Harry stories.

Kiara O. Lawrence:

And you consider not being able to go to classes because you're sick a BAD thing? *P.A.R. points a finger at Kiara.* HERMIONE!

Of course it's just you, Dear. No other reason. Couldn't have anything at all to do with the possibility that having you back means one more wonderful review for me to get to read. No. Not at all.

And I hope you're feeling better now.

LauraBlade: I'm sorry. You insult my chapter and expect no repercussions whatsoever? No, no, no, Dear. *P.A.R. flicks a moldy grape at LauraBlade.* You're getting fruit thrown at you. Moldy grapes are all I have right now. Live with it.

I kind of wondered why, if his friends became animagus, why Remus didn't also. But you're right, currently Rowling's hasn't expanded on that question. It's just that in several of my stories I needed his to be one, so I pulled out my poetic license and went to work.

Remember next time. You don't like fruit? Be nice. P.A.R. is well known for throwing fruit, and she has wicked aim.

Semmel: No. I don't believe the animagus thing was mentioned in The Bonds That Tie previously. Hence, all the bad confusion.

I don't know whether you're making sense or not, Dear, but P.A.R. did enjoy your teacher's phrase. That was cute.

Yes! P.A.R. loves long reviews.

I appreciate people being understanding about my taking a short break from Fanfiction.net to work on my other stories. But true to my bio page, I will only start posting a story that is finished, and I only have one right now that is, and it will be posted as a intermission to my vacation from the site. Sort of a little something to remember me by while I'm gone. It's a cute little one-shot called Siriusly Bored.

Black Sparkles: Yup. Sirius is only in the first few chapters of Family Relations. Oh, he makes guest appearances from time to time after that, but hardly enough to mention.

Bad? P.A.R. isn't bad.

Aaron doesn't 'know about Hogwarts because he didn't go there. He is aware of the school because his protégée went there. But that's about it. Aaron went to a different school.

I'm not sure If Dumbledore would have been Headmaster when Aaron was in school, as that Aaron is older than Remus.

Enjoy your gold star.

Kat: Sirius is, for the moment, safe. How long he stays that way has yet to be seen.

Poor Remus most definitely needs a week's vacation on a tropical island.

Harry is very well behaved. But a lot of that isn't due so much to his being the baby every parent wishes for, as is it the result of his time with the Dursley's. Harry learned that whenever things are unfamiliar, tense, or stressed, it's best to be quiet. And so he is. Under those conditions, when he got away from the Dursley's, it's just been extremely convenient that he learned that.

House elves are very cute, except to over-stressed, extremely tired werewolves.

Zimmy Russell:

I think the story was actually longer than the Q&A this time.

I can't post the stories I've previewed for you yet because they aren't finished. And you know my rules about that.

'Conspicuous by his absence' means you notice him the most because he isn't there. I mean, let's face it, a P.A.R. story with no Sirius? That'll be different. And I promise you, this story is.

The economy is bad, so you work as you can. The worst of it is, I have several college degrees, and I still can't get a decent job. I think last count was three...four...five....something like that. I just use them to paper my walls any way. So I lost count. (Those are majors and minors, by the way.) Oh! And certificates! I've got certificates!

Yes, miscasting Sirius Black could kill the third movie. Sort of like the casting director did in casting LeStat in Queen of the Damned. But P.A.R. isn't going to go there.

Nope. Not Star Wars. Sorry.

P.A.R. only gets basic Tier stations because she thinks most of what is on television these days is.......well, you get the picture. (No pun intended.).

A 'lycanthrope' is just a ten dollar word for a werewolf. Amaze your friends and impress your neighbors.

O.K., O.K., I don't plan cliffhangers. Some times its just a good place to end the chapter.

I would suppose they would want to keep track of werewolves the way they do anmagi. But, they don't know about all the animagi, do they? So.......!

Apocalypse is just another ten dollar word for the end of the world. (Been reading someone else's reviews again, have we?)

Yes, for some reason Fanfiction.net's computer search on authors names does not recognize poor old P.A.R.. I think it has something to do with my pen-name being all singled letters. But you can get me through the directory rather easily.

A statistics page is something you pay for...well, 'enhanced statistics', anyway. Which I paid to have simply because I wanted to see how many people were really reading this stuff. Turns out, quite a few. The Bonds That Tie I'm hoping will clock over three thousand hits shortly. And that's just since February. Not since I started posting it. My account only started then. Unfortunately, they don't keep track of those things until you get a paying account. Which is sad. I would have loved to have seen the original number of hits for Family Life.

You getz all kind of neat things when you payz. Like Enhanced Statistics. P.A.R. loves her Enhanced Statistics. Youz also getz E-mail. But P.A.R. has yet to figure out how to activate that one. Any help out there?

There was a gold star. Karla got it because MKH refused to share. 

Ya'll have never failed to meet my expectations.

summersun: Thank you.

Lilahp: Awwww, another anonymous face in the crowd steps forward and is recognized. Thank you. Now, isn't this better than just being another anonymous 'hit' in my Enhanced Statistics?

Sorry though, can't answer questions about what's going to happen in the story.

I know I'd definitely pay to see someone grab Harry and have Sirius find out about it. Talk about your taking a cub from the bear. Not a bad story idea either.

I don't know that I ever go into werewolf society very much. I guess that's because in that regard I'm tainted. Among the things I've published was a book that, in part, dealt with werewolves and the set-up of that society was very unique. And I strive not to go against Rowling's canon for her stories where background things are concerned, such as various creatures social orders. I mean, I don't always accomplish it, but I try.

I'm not sure what TPTB is exactly, but in context of the question, I'll assume it has something to do with Warner Brothers or Scholastic Publishing, who currently own the rights to the Harry Potter Series. I would love to see spin-offs from this series written by fanfiction authors. And whether or not Warner Brothers will allow it has yet to be seen. I think they are the biggest pack of gits ever put on this earth if they don't, considering the money aspect. But I would also understand why they would hold off until Rowling is done with the series. After that, I suppose it would have to be a 'supply and demand' sort of thing. I mean, after being overdosed on Harry Potter for seven or eight years, will anyone still be interested? Of course, look at how long Star Trek has been going, and is still going strong. Yes, I would love to see this done. I'd be submitting Family Life faster than you could say 'low fee with royalties'.

And by the way, I am very much an advocate of people getting their start into writing by doing things along the likes of Star Trek and Star Wars novels. Many of my writing friends got their start and still are making their living that way. So, never let anyone tell you that writing fanfiction is a waste of time. After all, what are those books but fanfictions?

I think you're likely just a little conservative in your number of people hitting this site. Even just for those hitting the Harry Potter area of Fanfiction.net, I can't see the number being that low.

Yeah, the woman needs to get on with it. It's been nearly two years, after all. No offense, Ms. Rowling.

Thank you for the review....and the discussion. I like those as much as questions.

Jadeite: Thank you for the review. Favorite is The Bonds That Tie, hmmm? I'm finding that to seemingly be the favorite. But it is, after all, the story I'm currently posting. So I think the voting is a bit bias.

Thank you all.

Reviews are as of 03302002. Blackmail can be fun if done right. See you next week.


	14. Chapter Twelve: The Road To Recovery

A/N: SPECIAL POST!

O.K., people. I can't do this on the right day, since I only post on Sundays with this story. So I hope she'll forgive me this is early.

This chapter is going out as a special birthday posting for one of my reviewers.

So, Lin-z, HAPPY BIRTHDAY (April 9)!!!!!!! I hope you have a wonderful day! Lots of presents!

On with the story.

Enjoy!

Chapter Twelve: The Road To Recovery

Remus was just coming in the front doors of the castle when he glanced up at the stairs.

"Sirius!" He cried.

Just above the first landing, Sirius was slowly making his way barefooted down the steps to the entrance hall. He was dressed in a pair of pajama bottoms with a white robe and a large, heavy blanket wrapped about his shoulders. As he continued down the stairs he kept a knuckle-white grip on the handrail. 

Remus immediately rushed for the stairs, wonder how or if Sirius had made it this far without any of the few students staying over the holidays seeing him. Though it was still early and what students were in the castle during break were most likely either still in breakfast or still asleep.

Sirius looked up at the figure barreling towards him up the steps.

"Ah! Finally! A guide!" Sirius stated in a tired voice. "Remus, is there any food in this castle anywhere? I feel like I've been walking for days. But following the smell," he pointed down the stairs towards the great hall, "and if memory serves, food is in that general direction."

"Food?" Remus asked as he skidded to a halt in front of Sirius, looking at him in shock.

"Yes, Food. Stuff you put in your mouth. Know where there is any?"

"You want something to eat?" Remus asked in disbelief.

"No, Remus." Sirius answered straight-faced. "I was getting bored in the hospital wing. Thought I'd paint a still-life. Need some subject matter. Few apples? A pear? A peach? What do you think?"

"Sirius," Remus stated, place a hand on Sirius' forehead, "you shouldn't even be up! You're ill! And what if a student sees you?" He added, pulling out his wand. "You still have a fever. Come on. Let me transport you back to the infirmary."

Sirius pulled back. "Put that thing away!" He stated firmly. "I'm fine."

"You're delusional." Remus concluded. "You need to be back in bed."

"Remus, what I am is hungry. What I need is food."

Remus looked at him as though Sirius had suddenly slapped him. "Hungry?" He asked again, as though it were the first time he had heard Sirius mention the fact.

"Yes." Sirius answered, getting a bit exacerbated. "I just want something to eat."

Remus' expression shifted to a broad smile. "Hungry?" He repeated again, then threw his arms around Sirius. "You're hungry!"

Sirius stood there for a moment, trying to think of something to say.

"Moony?" He said finally. "Just a sandwich would be fine. Really."

Remus pulled back. "Yes. Yes. Of course. Come on back to the infirmary and I'm sure the house elves will get you anything you want. Let's just get you back to bed first. Let Aaron and Madam Pomfrey have a look at you."

Sirius quickly protested as Remus pulled his wand out again, insisting he had walked that far, he could walk back. Remus gave in quickly, eager as he was to get Sirius out of sight. But he insisted on holding onto Sirius' arm to balance him when Sirius nearly fell over turning around on the landing.

The trip back to the infirmary seemed to take twice as long as Sirius remembered. By the time they reached his bed he was so exhausted he was even starting to forget how hungry he was.

"All right, then," Remus said gently as he directed Sirius over to the bed. "Let's get you back to bed." 

Remus started to help Sirius over to the bed, but stopped abruptly as he caught sight of the soiled top cover resting on the bed.

"Sirius, What happened?" Remus asked as he stripped the top cover quickly off the bed.

"Bad cough." Sirius replied, gratefully sitting back down on the bed.

"That's an awful lot of congestion to bring up."

"I said it was a 'bad' cough." Sirius repeated a bit irritably.

Remus helped him into bed, ignoring Sirius' tone and noting for the first time that Sirius wasn't having nearly as much trouble breathing as he had been for the past several days.

As soon as Sirius was settled, Remus ran off to fetch Aaron and Madam Pomfrey. 

Within a few minutes Sirius unhappily found himself being subjected to all sorts of tests and questions. But still no food. And at that point, as far as Sirius was concerned, Aaron Richards' wand was starting to look appealing. Little salt. Little barbeque sauce maybe.....

"Well then," Aaron directed Sirius' stare away from his wand, which for some reason was starting to make him nervous, "still had one good hack left in you, Mr. Black?"

"So it would seem. Can I get some food now?"

Aaron seemed to think over the request for a moment. "I suppose that would probably be the best thing for you. Although I have some medicine I want you to take as well."

"Does it come in flavors?"

"It comes in 'pill' flavor." Aaron replied, waving his wand once more. Immediately a steaming bowl of liquid appeared on the tray table next to Sirius' bed. Sirius leaned over slightly to examine it.

"Soup?" He asked with a disgruntled stare at the doctor. "What about the sandwich?"

"You get soup." Aaron confirmed. "It's likely all your body can handle for now. Let it get used to the food concept again in slow stages, Mr. Black."

Sirius huffed slightly as he dragged the tray across his bed and began attacking the soup. Within a matter of minutes there wasn't so much as a drop left in the bowl before him.

"What was that anyway?" Sirius asked as he dropped the spoon back in the bowl.

"Chicken soup." Aaron replied.

"Chicken? And what gave it that distinction? You let one walk through it? There wasn't so much as a scrap of anything in that bowl."

"It was broth, Mr. Black." Aaron sighed. "And I suggest you acquire a taste for it. You'll be eating it for the next few days."

Sirius made an irritated sound as he scooted back down in the bed. Truth was, his stomach was already protesting how fast he had eaten broth. But he would consent to three days in a room with Peeves, no-holds-barred, before he'd admit it to the doctor standing by his bed.

Aaron stood by and watched as Sirius obediently downed a handful of brightly colored pills of all shapes and sizes and three separate potions to drink. After that Dr. Richards sternly advised rest as he exited the ward with Madam Pomfrey, who was commenting on something about the chances of Sirius paying attention to any medical advice.

Remus quickly pulled up a chair as Sirius settled back in his bed.

"So, it looks like you're going to be all right, Sirius." Remus announced happily.

"You found out I wasn't leaving you anything in my will." Sirius replied past a small cough. "That's why you're so happy. That and the fact you're just perpetually happy."

"I'm just glad you're getting better." 

"Where's Harry?" Sirius asked.

"He's down with the house elves." Remus replied. "I discovered I can get just about anything short of what they'd have to steal out of the little blighters if I let them baby-sit for a few hours a day. And Harry seems absolutely wild about spending time with them."

"You'll bring him by though?" Sirius asked hopefully. "Soon?"

"He can come visit for dinner, all right?"

Sirius gave a contented nod, but his expression quickly began more serious. "I was a real idiot, you know that Moony?"

Remus looked up. "Idiot? About what, Sirius?"

Sirius rolled back over onto his back as he wiped a hand over tired eyes. "I thought I had it all planned out, Moony. Down to the last detail."

"What planned out?"

"Harry. Where he would go. What would happen to him. Everything was suppose to work out so much better for him if I wasn't there to keep messing up his life."

"Sirius, you're not messing up Harry's life. Harry loves you. You know that."

"He's a baby, Remus. He loves whoever feeds and takes care of him."

"The Dursley's fed and took care of him, Sirius. He hardly loved them for it. You fed him, and you took care of him. But you also loved him more than anything else in the world. And Harry knew that. Baby or no, he knew who cared about him."

"And right now he's wild about a pack of house cleaners."

"And I'd stack a ton of galleons against him being happier with them or the look on his face the minute he sees you."

"You don't have a ton of galleons." Sirius reminded him with a small, teasing smile.

"I'd steal them from you."

"I still thought I had everything pretty well planned out, Remus." Sirius went on as his smile slowly faded. "You could have taken Harry, and raised him, and done a good job of it. But I was an idiot. And....and I almost ended up sending Harry right back to those muggles, didn't I? I never thought to check those stupid laws they have about werewolves."

Remus gave Sirius a puzzled look. "Laws? What do laws have to do with any of this, Sirius?"

"I didn't know werewolves couldn't adopt children, Remus. I was sure you would have been able to adopt Harry. Give him a proper home. Raise him the way he should be."

Remus now looked stunned. "How did you know that?" He asked in a surprised whisper. "That's hardly common knowledge."

Sirius smiled at his friend again. "Lily told me."

"Lily? When was she looking up werewolf adoption laws? I mean, girl always had her nose in a book to be sure, but that was hardly part of any of our curriculum."

Sirius waved him off. "Not in school." He rasped out. Talking was getting harder and harder past his sore throat. "Last night. Lily and James were here."

Remus tried not to look skeptical. "Lily and James?"

Sirius nodded.

"Sirius," Remus said sympathetically, not wanting to upset his friend, "Lily and James are dead."

Sirius frowned. "I know that." He replied, laying in the bed with his eyes closed. "But they were here, Remus. And...and James.....James cured me. Don't ever let him do that to you, by the way." Sirius added quickly. "He's not very good at it."

Remus continued to simply stare at the man in the bed.

Sirius opened his eyes, wondering why Remus had gotten so quiet suddenly.

"You think I'm a nutter, don't you?" He asked, catching Remus' stare.

"I think you believe what you thought you saw, Sirius." Remus said in a quiet, gentle voice.

"I know what I saw, Remus. Oh, and...and James....he said for me to tell you...that you were welcome."

"Welcome?" Remus asked quizzically. "'Welcome' for what?"

"He said something about a rescue." Sirius shrugged slightly with a slight frown. "I have no idea what he was talking about, but he said to tell you. I thought you would know."

Remus thought for a few minutes. Rescue? From what?

But suddenly Remus' thoughts focused back on the events the night they left his house. The attack by the ministry. The sudden flash of light. Their unexplained escape.

Remus sat with his stare fixed on the wall opposite him. "That was James?" He asked in a quiet, awed voice.

Sirius just shrugged, not sure what Remus was talking about. "That was all he said, Remus.

"But....." Remus tried to piece things together, but nothing fit the way it should. James was dead. He couldn't have been there last night talking with Sirius. But how could Sirius even have known about their unexplained rescue? He had been unconscious through the whole thing. And how did he know about the adoption laws concerning werewolves?

"I'm not crazy, Moony." Sirius stated softly, though even he wasn't sure if it was a statement or a question.

Remus sat in silence for a few more minutes before he turned his attention back to Sirius. "No, Sirius." He said finally. "I don't think your crazy at all. I think you really did see James."

"And Lily." Sirius piped up, not wanting anyone to be left out.

Remus smiled slightly. It was good to hear the light-hearted, joking tone trying so hard to work its way back into his friend's voice. "And Lily, too." Remus agreed. "There's simply no other explanation for how you would know about what happened when we left the house. You were completely out of it."

"Well, there's something new."

"New?"

"Moony, the last thing I even remember was.....," Sirius paused for a minute as he thought, "....something about a lot of rain or something."

"Rain?" Remus asked in disbelief. "Sirius, the last time you had anything to do with rain was when you came to my house that night. It was raining cats and dogs that night. You were absolutely soaked."

"Remember that." Sirius replied bluntly.

Remus studied his friend for a moment. "Don't you remember anything after that?"

Sirius sighed. "Bits and pieces, I guess. Mostly just Harry. Oh! And the food-fight. Remember the food-fight. You lost!"

Remus smiled slightly. "Convenient target."

"None-moving target." Sirius replied with a yawn. He shifted in the bed as he rolled over on his side. "Mostly, Remus," He said quietly, "I remember waking up scared."

"Scared?"

"I would wake up in a bed I didn't remember how I got into." Sirius answered, staring at the sheets. "Or where I was, and I didn't know where Harry was. And I would start to panic. I thought somehow we had gotten separated. And I would try to remember where I left him. Where we were last. And I would think I had to go get him. I didn't know how long he had been alone. When he had last eaten." Two frightened eyes turned to look at Remus. "I can't remember in my whole life being that terrified, Remus."

Remus brushed a hand gently over Sirius' head. "Well, you tried awfully hard once to go find him. Had a real time of it getting you back to bed. Insisted we had to go find Harry. Thankfully, he was just down the hall and once you had him back in your arms, you went straight back to sleep. No arguments. Same with Harry. That little baby is so crazy about you, Sirius."

"According to you, he's currently crazy about house-elves."

Remus shook his head. "Poor substitutes. He doesn't respond to anyone like he does when he sees you."

"Can't you get him now? It seems like ages since I've seen him. Probably walking and talking by now."

Remus stood up. "Hardly." He sighed. "All right. Just give me a minute."

Fifteen minutes later Remus returned with a very irritable Harry, who was none too happy to be taken away from his new playmates. But as soon as Remus turned him about and he caught sight of his godfather, all thoughts of the house-elves vanished past a squeal of delight. Harry immediately began pushing against Remus' hold on him, babbling like a maniac as he reached out to Sirius.

"Kid's getting strong." Remus commented as he handed the baby to Sirius.

"Good." Sirius replied as he settled Harry down on his chest. "So," he asked the baby, "how are ya', Harry?"

The infant stared at Sirius past his large green eyes for a moment, then as though someone had cut a string that had been holding him upright, fell forward as he wrapped his arms about Sirius' neck with a happy contented sound.

"Oh sure." Remus commented as he watched the baby quickly settle against Sirius. "We can replace you. No problem."

Sirius gave a soft laugh as he lifted Harry up and bounced him in the air above his head, babbling at him like an idiot in single syllables.

"By the way, Sirius," Remus asked after watching the two for a few minutes, "what did James want anyway?"

Sirius put Harry down on the bed as he rolled over to face Remus again. "He wanted me to keep my promise." Sirius replied.

"Promise?" Remus asked as he got suddenly distracted by Harry suddenly appearing again as he crawled over Sirius side and tumbled down onto the bed with a happy giggle. The baby quickly regained his balance, and, using Sirius' body for support, made it to his feet and edged up to Sirius' head, where he promptly smacked Sirius on the nose before losing his balance and collapsing back onto the bed before his godfather's smiling face. "Don't hit your godfather, Harry." Remus gently admonished the child.

"It's just his way to tell me he wants something." Sirius replied, stopping Harry's tiny hand from connecting with his nose again as Sirius frowned at him. "But I have no idea what he wants now. Usually it was food or milk or just attention. What do you want, kiddo?" Sirius asked as he waved Harry's hand about in his.

Harry sat for a moment, digesting the sounds. With a confused look he turned to the man sitting behind him, then turned back to Sirius. Holding out his two tiny arms, Harry flapped them both inward several times, slapping Sirius on either side of his face.

Sirius winced slightly as he pulled back with a frown.

"Oh, godfather isn't sure he can do that, Harry."

"What does he want?" Remus asked curiously.

Sirius looked up at his friend with a tired expression. "He wants Padfoot."

"I can't recommend that, Sirius." Remus cautioned. "Your still weak. You might not be able to transform back. Be stuck as a dog."

"And you'd leave me that way, wouldn't you?"

Remus shrugged with a small smile. "Well, Sirius....., boy seems to want a pet dog more than a godfather, after all."

Sirius just shook his head at him before turning his attention back to his godson, who had just whacked him on either side of the face again.

"All right. All right." Sirius replied. "I'll see what I can do."

"Sirius," Remus put in quickly, "I really don't think...."

But before Remus could say another word, the large black dog sudden materialized on the bed. Harry squealed again with delight and grabbed the dog's muzzle and gave it a tight hug.

"You are so going to spoil that child." Remus stated firmly, shaking his head again. The dog turned his head to him, lifting his muzzle up as he did so, so that Harry was now laying over the dog's snout, still holding tightly onto him as he laughed.

"I'm telling you," Remus warned, "you're going to be stuck that way."

The dog huffed at Remus as he tilted his head up slightly, directing Harry down his head as the infant crawled down the dog's head and onto his back, where he contentedly settled over the large pile of soft, black fur.

Just then the door to the infirmary opened again, taking Sirius so by surprise he didn't have time to even think about changing back.

Aaron Richards walked into the ward, stopping short while he observed the scene before him. 

"Well," he said finally without the slightest hint of surprise in his voice, "I'm happy to see my medical advice is being followed." He stated firmly, looking the three over.

"Sirius....ummmm.....just stepped out for a minute." Remus stated carefully. "Be back shortly."

"Really?" Aaron asked. He turned casually to the large black dog on the bed. "Do you know how we take a dog's temperature, Mr. Black?" He asked as he deftly produced a thermometer from his pocket.

A keen look of understanding appeared on the dog's face, followed quickly by an intense look of concentration. But nothing happened.

"Warned you." Remus stated quietly at the dog, who gave him a piercing stare.

"Well, now." Dr. Richards stated, surveying the situation. "I still need a temperature reading, Mr. Black. So, since we can't get it the usual way, if you'd be so kind as to present the other end."

The black dog got to its feet a bit shakily, sending Harry rolling onto the bed where Remus caught him and placed him in a safer location at the foot of the bed. Looking to see where Harry was, the large black dog then unceremoniously plopped itself down in a sitting position, staring defiantly back at the doctor.

"Oh yeah." Dr. Richards stated. "That'll work."

"If I may, Aaron." Remus stated suddenly, figuring, no matter how, the 'dog' was out of the bag. And not wishing the doctor's suggested placement of the thermometer on his worst enemy, Remus quickly pulled out his wand and pointed it at Sirius. One quick spell later, Sirius lay again on the bed, looking considerably more tired then a few minutes before. 

"Very good." Aaron stated, holding up the instrument in front of Sirius. "I still need a temperature reading. Open please."

Sirius pulled back with a look of disgust. "How do I know where that thing's been?"

"I don't get many Animagi, Mr. Black. I assure you, it's perfectly clean. But if you prefer......"

Sirius quickly opened his mouth.

As Aaron poked the thermometer in, Remus turned a curious stare to his old friend. "How did you know Sirius was an animagus, Aaron?" He asked.

"Simple matter of smell." Aaron replied. "What I saw was a dog. But what I smelled was Sirius. Honestly, boy! If you'd learn to work with the wolf, you'd learn he can be useful at times. And you'd even likely learn to stop treating him as so much of an enemy. Besides, you're an animagus. I thought it stood to reason Sirius was also one."

In the meantime, Harry had become fascinated with the new item and reached up and yanked it out of Sirius' mouth before anyone noticed what he was up to. But Aaron reached down quickly and retrieved it from the baby's hands. He looked it over with a slight frown as Harry babbled his indignation at the doctor, slapping at his white coat several times as he reached for the glass stick again.

"You still have a bit of a fever, Mr. Black." Aaron informed him. "And as such, I can't recommend a great deal of contact between you and the child."

"Then you won't be disappointed." Sirius replied, frowning as Remus reached over to take Harry back. "Because I haven't had a great deal of contact with him."

"Well then," the doctor stated unsympathetically, "let's try and keep it that way for a few more days, shall we?"

Sirius frowned at him, then turned back to Harry, who was pushing against Remus' hold, slapping at his arms as he protested like crazy being taken away from his godfather.

"And it certainly has all the makings of a perfectly happy few days." Sirius replied.

Remus smiled sympathetically at his friend as he followed Aaron out the door of the infirmary with Harry in his arms.

"I'll be back in a little while." Remus promised. "Try and get some sleep."

Sirius sighed to himself as he watched the door close, then settled back in his bed for a good long nap.

Outside the door Aaron stopped Remus a few feet down the corridor.

"Well, thank heavens he finally listened to someone." 

Remus gave Aaron a confused stare. "What are you talking about, Aaron?"

"Black. You must have given the man one extremely sound talking to, Remus."

"Talking to?"

"That's the most interest, cooperation, or coherency I've gotten out of the man in days. Quite frankly, I'd swear someone stole my patient and replaced him with that one. And as far as I'm concerned, they can keep the original. This one listens, he's cooperating, he's taking his medicine, and he's eating again. All in all, I'd call that the path to recovery."

Remus' expression brightened suddenly. "Recovery?" He asked. "You think Sirius will recover then?"

"If he keeps on like this, there's no reason in the world why not. Although for the life of me, I can't tell you how he did it. Yesterday I'd have swore the man wouldn't last three more days. He was headed down hill on wheels, Remus. So, whatever you said to him, I'm glad he listened."

Remus considered telling Aaron what Sirius had told him about his visitors, but quickly set it aside. Instead he gave Aaron a pleasant smile. "Sirius loves his godson, Aaron." He replied instead. "He just needed to realize how much Harry needs him still."

Aaron patted the child on his head. "Well, good for you, Harry." He stated. "You just keep reminding him of that."

Remus watched the doctor walk off down the corridor. "We will, Aaron." He said softly. "We will."

Q&A

Family Life

Ice: Feel free, Dear. Sorry I couldn't e-mail you to say it's O.K. and you had to wait for my posting. But I currently have e-mail problems.

A Dog's Day

Me: Don't be too hard on Aunt Rose. She's just looking out for her niece.

Fever

RavenNat: Hey! RavenNat! How are ya'? So, ya' saw the review, huh? I was hoping you did.

Fever is in someone's 'Favorites'? Wonderful!

Actually, I think I've cited Midnight Visitors more than once. I absolutely LOVED that story. Still do. It was a wonderful story. Very original. I will stand by my review of that story. It was absolutely one of the best stories I've read on this site.

Don't feel bad not remembering the last word in the title of Family Life. It is a three story arc and the names are all very similar, being Family Life, Family Relations, and Family Ties. (Currently, only Family Life is written and posted.). And, yes, Family Life is a bit long. But it's a good read.

By the way, when you say you haven't actually read fics on Fanfiction.net, do you mean you don't read stories on the site? I mean, I'm honored if you don't usually do that, but chose to read mine anyway.

And talk about falling out of a chair! That's about what I did when I saw your review!

Looking forward to the review of The Bonds That Tie.

The Bonds That Tie

vmr: You know. You must be one of the best read people on this site. I see you in numerous reviews of other stories. Again, so glad that you chose to list mine among them. Thank you.

Nagini: Ummmm, you might just have too, Dear. Family Life will be coming down for revisions before Family Relations is posted due to changes in plot that need correcting. But, to be fair to everyone who so kindly read Family Life once already, I will post the changes at the beginning of Family Relations.

Peacockgirl: *P.A.R. clasps her hands together.* THANK YOU!!!! Someone LIKED this chapter!!!!!!!

I kinda' got slapped a little for this one for some reason . Not many people seemed to like it. Oh well. I just felt it would take something fairly extreme to make him listen. And by the way, for my other readers, that catharsis wasn't James and Lily showing up. It was the fact that Harry would be going back to the Dursley's if Sirius died.

Kat: Cute! A pity-party. I loved it. 

Anyway, I don't know that this was a Sirius/Harry moment, but at least they're back together.

Nicky: Thank you for saying you liked the chapter!

And no. What James was referring to was the fact that he was responsible for rescuing Remus, Aaron, Harry, and Sirius from the ministry at Remus' house.

Only Sirius and Harry can see James and Lily. And they were actually there. Call them ghosts, spirits, whatever. They were 'physically' there.

As for talking to Dumbledore and the rest, no. They can't do that. There are rules, as James said. Too much interference is a big one. Besides, do you honestly think Dumbledore needs anyone to tell him the truth?

This story actually does have a short sequel, called Tried And Convicted that I've just started working on. Possibly it will be the next posting or so. It will come out before Family Relations.

Yes, yes, yes. Poor Remus could use a vacation. Unfortunately, he's not getting one in this story yet.

LauraBlade: Awwwwwww! *P.A.R. hands over a fresh fruit plate with lots of nice grapes.* THANK YOU!!!!!!

P.A.R. is VERY happy you liked this chapter.

Yes, Sirius got himself several really good talking to's. But he really needed them.

His road to recovery will not be a short one, but nor will it be over pronounced either. The rest of this story will mostly deal with Sirius adapting to his new role in life. Guardian to a child with a mind of his own. And poor Sirius is about to learn that children aren't always cute.

I'd have to (and would love to) see the actual written scene to tell you what's right or wrong with it. Perhaps you could post it as a short one shot and let me know where and I'll be glad to have a look at it. Or, if I can ever get my e-mail working on this site, you can e-mail it to me. I love stories with those sorts of things in them, by the way, and I love reading them. Otherwise, it's sort of like having someone hold up a painting in a completely dark room and asking me what I think of it. I need to see what I'm critiquing. It's only fair to me and you.

BK: Mostly, Harry's been missing Sirius and driving Remus nuts as he's getting fussier by the day.

Phoenix: Thank you! Thankyouthankyouthankyou for liking this chapter!!!!!!!!

Alexa Black: I'm not sure if that was a compliment or not, Dear. But I do wish you'd reconsider about the theories. But for some reason this chapter has brought me as close to being flamed as I've come with my readers. *Sigh.* I suppose it was bound to happen some time.

Starlight: Thank heavens! Another person who actually LIKED this chapter. And I hope you liked Sirius and Harry's 'reunion'.

What Harry did was actually a rhetorical scene. I never had any clear cut image in mind. Just something that would shock a mother. But after all, he picked it up from Sirius, so it had to be something pretty bad. But as the chapters go on, you can get an even better idea, as that Harry starts showing some other people the wonderful habits he's learning from his godfather.

Essence Of Magic: Sorry! Train's pulled out of the depot on the right track. But all the passengers aren't on board. Sirius isn't in a comatose state for Family Relations. Actually, I could be really mean and tell you a bit more about that situation that would utterly contradict what I've said previously, but P.A.R. has something better in mind. Instead, I've decided to post the first chapter of Family Relations at the end of The Bonds That Tie as sort of a little preview.

What the picture was and what Harry did are both sort of rhetorical. It's more or less left up to the reader. But as for what Harry did that shocked Lily do much, go read Starlight's answer above. It goes a bit more into detail about that.

Don't know abou thte bus trip. Sometimes I liked them. Sometimes I needed to kill most of the people on the bus by the time we got where we were going or got back where we started. Depended on how I was feeling.

I never said it was impossible to back me into a corner now. Just difficult. And when you do accomplish it, yes, indeed, BE PROUD! Don't happen often.

Ohhhhh, sorry to burst that bubble, Dear. No, no. P.A.R. is taking a vacation. AFTER The Bonds That Tie is finished. I would never stop a story abruptly like that and not finish it. I have one firm standing rule, remember? I only post stories that are finished or near finished and that I'm going to finish. P.A.R. is not mean to her readers.

Hermione Gulliver: I'll let you in on a secret. I hate that kid's name. Why? I doubt I'll ever learn to spell it without looking at it first. What parent would name their child that? 'Course, my name is far from normal either , so who am I to talk? (Trust me, folks, I've got a large sum of money that says only one in five hundred of you ever knew or heard of anyone with my name. And that's my ACTUAL name, mind you. Not my pen name.) But anyway, THANK YOU for liking this chapter! I'm coming close to getting flamed this week! So I doubly appreciate those who LIKED it!

Yes. I have the 'hits' thingy. Paid good money for it. Well worth the cost if you ask me. Currently, for The Bonds That Tie only one in ten people are reviewing this story. But P.A.R. is happy to point out that last week The Bonds That Tie went over three thousand hits. THANK YOU, PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Trust me, Enhanced Statistics (the 'hits' thingy) is well worth the money! It's a great ego booster!

Yes, this section is getting a bit long. But surely you wouldn't think of depriving me of my fun, would you?

The Bonds That Tie only has a few chapters more. I'm thinking it'll beat Fever by one chapter. Not sure yet. Story's still undergoing revisions.

Sorry, I can't do e-mails yet. I haven't figured out how to activate my e-mail account on fanfiction.net. That's suppose to come with my Support Services.

My only disappointment with Enhanced Statistics is they start tracking 'hits' from the day your account is activated, not the day you posted the story. I would have liked to have known how many 'hits' Family Life has had from the day I posted it. Not how many it was pulling in three months after I posted it.

Whisp!

I'd give you a gold star for getting that, Whisp. But what's the point? You're probably still basking in the light of winning that MVP award. But, yes, James was responsible for rescuing Remus, Aaron, Sirius, and Harry from the ministry.

I had a very nice Easter. Thank you.

And thank you for liking the chapter.

Also, sorry, but The Bonds That Tie is actually being sequeled in a story called Tried and Convicted which will bring our much loved potions master back into the picture. So The Bonds That Tie isn't likely to end the way people are thinking.

Sirius, by the way, won't go in for questioning until Aaron releases him from medical care. And knowing how Aaron feels about the ministry, that could be a while.

Sailor Sol: I don't know that my writing keeping people up on a school night is a necessarily good thing. (Not that I'm complaining, but still!).

What Harry did was rhetorical within the story. Or better, it was redundant. It wasn't so much what he did as that it was enough to shock Lily, and she knew just who was to blame for teaching it to him. For a more drawn out explanation, go see Starlight's answer.

Mortalus: What's this 'biccy' that I'm not getting? And if it's edible, ohhhh, no! No fair waving food in front of the author and not throwing it her way. Pony up, buddy!

What Harry did was redundant to the story. For a longer explanation, go read Starlight's answer.

Padfoot's Bone: BOY! Are people ever interested in what Harry did!

It was redundant to the story. Sort of a rhetorical scene. For a better explanation, go read Starlight's answer above.

I'm not running much with the ghosts thing. I'll go with 'whatever'. But personally, I'm not calling them ghosts.

Oh, and you're welcome for my posting practices. Glad you like them.

Silverfox: As that you're on chapter 11, Dear, yes, you've missed something. I believe both questions are answered in later chapters. But feel free to come back and asked again if I'm wrong. I'm not answering because I don't want to ruin the story for you, and the answers might.

Taracollowen: James and Lily weren't exactly ghosts, since they could interact with Sirius on a physical level. Although I think in GoF, that James and Lily could interact with Harry on a physical level as well. But they weren't really ghost there either.

It's not up to Sirius alone to cure himself. The whole point of James' discussion with Sirius was that Sirius was giving up. The end result was that Sirius had to want to get better. That meant working with Aaron and Madam Pomfrey, whose help he had been refusing up until then. And keep in mind, James didn't cure Sirius. He simply gave him the strength to clear the congestion out of his lungs. The one thing Sirius didn't have any longer, which was what was killing him. That and the fact he didn't care if he lived or died at that point. He's a long way from cured.

MKH: What Harry did was redundant to the story. I never meant for that one thing to take on a life of it's own, but it certainly seems to have done so. But, for a longer explanation, go see Starlight's answer above. (It's not necessarily 'better'. Just longer.).

James and Lily do not appear (so to speak) again in this story. And I can't say that Lily is back any time soon either. Although James does make a brief appearance in other stories.

Whoa! O.K., first off, no, no! Aaron was NOT the werewolf that bit Remus. Also, Aaron isn't the member of a pack, he's a lone Alpha. There's only one way for him to assimilate into a pack, and that's as the Alpha, which means a fight with the current pack leader. And Aaron just isn't interested in leading a pack. His sole interest is keeping his people out of the hands of the ministry. Work in which his status helps a great deal. I mean, you'd have to be (or at least have the arrogance of) an Alpha to stand up to Orion Black. Something Aaron Richards has done many times in the past.

Aaron is extremely protective of Remus. He was not only his mentor, but his doctor as a child. And he probably sort of views Remus as an adopted son.

I believe in that chapter some time had passed. Harry was getting more and more irritable with Remus. As far as he was concerned, he wasn't seeing the people he wanted to see and life was pretty miserable 'at the moment'. But, lo and behold, here comes momma! Who he hasn't seen in a while. That's bound to cheer him up considerably. And trust me, I don't care if it's been several months of separation, a kid will remember his mother. So, happy or irritable? Depends whose he's with.

Me: You don't LIKE my story? *Whimper.* Oh, well. What can I say? Apparently after this chapter there's a fan club forming for that. 

Siriusly Bored is a story I'm planning to post sometime during my vacation just to prove I didn't fall off the face of the Earth. Post time? Sometime between now and the beginning of summer. Sorry. I know that's not much help. But several stories will likely be posted during my vacation. Siriusly Bored is just one of them. There is also Enemies and the sequel to The Bonds That Tie called Tried And Convicted. But this is mostly because Family Relations is starting to look a little longer than I anticipated. Originally coming out in the Spring, it is now slated for Summer. And I'm not guaranteeing anything here.

As to the 'Professor Lupin' thing. Go back to the last chapter and read the Author's Notes. P.A.R. made a rather large mistake, I'm afraid.

Cat Ate Borris? Sometimes I honestly believe it's a good thing people aren't allowed to name themselves.

You may hate your life, Dear, but let's face it, it beats the alternative!

As to what Harry is going to call Sirius and Arabella, I can't really comment on that, because it's figures into the story.

Sirius wasn't worried about what Harry may say later in life as that he wasn't planning on being around, period.

Yes. The scene between Sirius, James, and Lily really did happen.

As long as it's 'originally weird', I'm O.K. with that.

Parents often over-react to what their children do. But in regards to what it was that Harry did, it was redundant to the story. For a better explanation, go read Starlight's answer above.

James didn't visit Harry 'this time' because he had a mission to complete and limited time in which to do so.

Lotesse: Well, James was always breaking rules while he was on Earth. After that, he was under certain restrictions from The Power That Be, however you care to define it, that he could only do certain things. Sort of a universal 'none interference' clause. Otherwise, we could all have formerly living people coming back and telling us all sorts of neat things. Like what stocks to invest in, what bad old wizards are up to, and how book seven is really going to end. I mean, life without surprises isn't much of a life, right?

Actually, I was never one much for philosophy or theology. I always thought of both as subjects for people with too much time on their hands and no money. P.A.R. does not currently have that problem.

No. P.A.R. does not do group hugs. Doesn't like them. But I see your point and after I read your review P.A.R. was somewhat disappointed in herself. Yes, I had a wonderful opportunity to clear up a lot of things and failed to make decent use of that opportunity. All I can say in my defense is that James' time was limited and he had a mission to complete.

Actually, I have no idea why Rowling didn't bring James and Lily back as ghosts with the exception that it would really open up a can of worms. I mean, what would Harry need Sirius for if he had his Mom and Dad to talk to? As to this story, to a point Harry will remember seeing his parents as a child. But at some point they stop coming to visit, and there's a reason for that. Whether or not I get that far remains to be seen.

Having lodged a complaint against this chapter, I fail to see how it could be your favorite. But.....O.K., I'm good with that.

Question. Is 'Namarie' a name or a word? Another reviewer uses it and I'm curious.

Blessed be!

Kiara O. Lawrence: Awwww, Thank you for liking this chapter! That makes up for everything! P.A.R. needs people to like this chapter. It makes her feel better.

If you love my chapters, your opinion is always highly valued by me!

lilahp: Thank you. I try.

That is actually not a new idea to me. I had always planned on continuing this AU with other stories. But those will not likely see light of day until 2003. Family Relations and Family Ties, the sequels to Family Life will be keeping me busy until then I'm afraid. And depending on how Enemies is received, it may be sequeled as well. But that one's fate will lay with the readers as that it is an almost completely OC story.

The only thing I can say to your question is actually two things. Number one, please never think this hard about my stories. You'll have poor P.A.R. in a corner faster than you can say 'I have a question!'. Second; all I can guess is that keeping Harry away from anything to do with the magical world was part of the spell that protects him at the Dursley's. And as for Lupin, well, he wasn't exactly the raving extrovert, was he? I mean, he spent his whole life learning how to avoid people. Also, he has some very serious issues with his 'condition'. Perhaps he feared how Harry would feel about him if he ever found out the truth.

My understanding is just before James and Lily were killed the Marauders weren't exactly as 'thick-as-thieves'. There were, in fact, some serious relationship problems going on within the group. Mostly, everyone seemed to think poor Remus was a spy for Voldemort.

Sirius blaming Remus for not being there for Harry? That's sort of the pot calling the kettle black, don't you think? (No pun intended.). But again, right up until the last chapters of PoA, Sirius and Remus weren't exactly the best of friends. Sirius suspected Remus of being a spy for Voldemort, and Remus thought Sirius was a traitor. And I don't care how or who explains it, you aren't going to jump right back to the way things use to be twelve years ago just because we all suddenly realize it was one big misunderstanding. Quite frankly, I saw poor Remus still getting something of a cold shoulder from Sirius at the end of PoA. But then, everyone was a little tense. And I don't think Sirius even mentions Remus once in GoF.

I know that relationship works for me. I get published, get royalties, make money. Yeah! That works!

Yeah, nothing quite says 'Dammit' like getting into a story only to have the author get bored and stop. I have, in fact, done that. You people just fortunately never saw those stories. It's not that I probably won't one day write them, it's just that with everything else I'm working on, I had to set them aside.

Well, if you knew where I was going with this story, I would be wasting my time here, wouldn't I? So I'm glad I keep you guessing.

Sirius will, indeed, very soon realize that his godson is all Marauder. So far Harry has been every parents dream come true. He's quite, he's obedient, and he sleeps a lot. But trust me, that's going to wear off soon as Harry gets more into the idea that the whole world isn't going to yell at him just because he makes noise or does something, right or wrong. Keep in mind where the kid is coming from. He was literally trained by the Dursley's to sit and be quiet. It's not that, as has been suggested, that Harry isn't a very realistic child. He's not. He's a product of a very restricted environment. But, take away the controlling factors, and any developing, thinking creature will begin to explore it's world. Beats the snot out of sitting in a corner!

Karla: You're welcome.

You know, for all the times I've answered this question this time round, I still don't feel I've answered it right. So I'll give it one more shot.

James didn't interfere 'all those times' because he couldn't. The universe is governed by certain laws. And if you start mixing too easily the world of the living and the...well, the other one, things could get very messy very quickly. Suppose everyone on Earth knew for a fact that there was an afterlife and we could talk to 'passed on' relatives? Well, those people would know a lot of stuff that we're probably better off not knowing. What was going to happen tomorrow, who was really guilty of doing what, and when Rowling's publisher was going to release book five. I don't know about you, but quite frankly, life would get boring real quick. I mean, why bother doing anything? You already know what'll happen. And I'm not even going to start on the free-will theory here. Did that help any?

O.K., basically, how did James rescue them? He was a powerful wizard in life. Stands to reason he'd still be one now that he's dead. Especially since he has The Power That Be helping him.

Why didn't he interfere if he had the power to help? What makes you think he had the power to do anything? I mean, he's just a ghost (or whatever). Maybe his helping out at that moment didn't fit into Someone else's plan? Hmmmm? (We're getting into that free-will thing again, so I'm not going to go there.). And James didn't 'cure' Sirius. Wouldn't that have been the way to go? But James said, 'I don't have the power to cure you'. So I would think it should stand to reason whatever power he did or didn't have was up to Someone else. 

Harry was being abused at the Dursley's and Sirius and Harry went through a lot on the streets? Well, why do bad things happen to good people? Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your point of view), I'm not the one controlling things. (Yes, I know, it's my story, but we're looking at the big picture here.). If I was, trust me, first off, I'd be a looooooooot more popular, and secondly, bad things in this world would disappear. But I have no more of an idea than anyone else what The Power That Be has planned, and sometimes things have to happen the way they do for the greater good.

James is not a panacea for all of Sirius' problems, or Harry's for that matter. Some things ya' just gotta work out for yourself.

Past that, if everything was solved nice and easy, wouldn't be much of a story, would it?

*P.A.R. looks over answer.* Nope, still doesn't sound right. But that's the best I can do.

Lin-z: Again, I hope you have a wonderful, Birthday and get loads of presents. And a lot of people seemed to find the 'spectral thing' a bit odd for some reason. But thanks for the review.

Again, Happy Birthday! 

Oh! Brief note here, guys. I know I've made a lot of promises to review stories. I am working on it. But if you feel I've forgotten you, for instance I promised three months ago and I still haven't reviewed your story, don't be shy about reminding me. I'm not insulted. Remember, P.A.R. is an old broad, and I may very well have forgotten.

Reviews are as of 04062002. If I missed you, I direct you to the book, Blackmail Can Be Fun, by E.Z. Profet.

Hope to see you next week. 


	15. Chapter Thirteen: To Cute For Words

A/N: Just a brief note to start, folks. I always resolved I would never beg you guys for anything. Well, I'm falling right off that bandwagon. Here's the scoop. P.A.R. is in line for a job she REALLY, REALLY, REALLY wants. In order for P.A.R. to get said job, P.A.R. believes there needs to be a WHOLE lotta praying going on. So, if ya' could, could you have a word with whatever power you believe in that, whoever that is, might have mercy on poor P.A.R. and let her have her job, with her current boss, and her really nice friend she'd like to work with in the deal too. I'd really appreciate it! Thank you. 

O.K., next, a lot of you asked about the chapter structure for this story, and at this point I think it's safe to say there's one more.

This chapter's title says it all. I simply can't GET any cuter than this if I tried. If you've been among the many waiting for a chapter that was just as fluffy as a frickin' French poodle, here you go! There is no stress, no fights, no attacks, and absolutely no one dies in this chapter. This was added solely for your reading pleasure.

Oh, it's also to clear up Harry's developmental problems thing. And full credit for that idea goes to Starlight, Dears. She is the one who suggested it to P.A.R.. 

But mostly it's just for fun. 

Therefore, I say.....

On with the story.

Enjoy! 

Chapter Thirteen: To Cute For Words

The third week after Sirius had left the infirmary Dr. Richards stopped by again to do a bit of a follow up on Sirius and, at Remus' request to check Harry. Remus had been commenting for the past several weeks that he didn't think Harry was getting along as well as he should. Sirius, true to any good parent, frowned at the mere suggestion, stating quite determinedly that Harry would get on with things in his own good time. 

"Besides," Sirius had stated one afternoon as he and Remus rehashed the old argument, "Harry is learning words."

Remus stood with his head resting in his hand as he stared at his friend. "Sirius," he said as calmly as ever, "no child his age should even know those words."

Sirius had insisted they'd likely come in handy later in life, which usually had Remus walking out of the room, shaking his head.

And so it was, mostly to appease Remus, that Sirius agreed to let Dr. Richards have a look at Harry.

When Aaron arrived, he started with a quick follow up with Sirius to make sure he was following his medical regiment. Once Aaron was satisfied things were progressing well with one patient, he turned his attention to the other. 

After nearly a half hour of having a wand waved about him, Harry now sat on the kitchen table as Dr. Richard stood studying the child for a few minutes.

"Well?" Remus asked nervously.

"He seems perfectly healthy from what I can tell, Remus."

"Ha!" Sirius put in quickly, giving Remus a very superior look.

"Let's see how his memory is, shall we?"

"He has a perfectly good memory." Sirius piped up immediately. "He knows me. He remembers Remus, Dumbledore, and every one of those retched little elves."

But Dr. Richards ignored Sirius and crouched down until he was eye level with the child on the table.

"All right then, Harry." He said pleasantly. "Who am I?"

Harry stared at the man in front of him. His attention had been focused on the polished piece of wood in the man's hand. But the instant the wand disappeared, Harry lost interest in the man. Quickly he turned to his godfather. Reaching up, Harry flapped his fingers at Sirius.

Aaron tapped the table to get Harry's attention.

"Harry! Pay attention, son." He stated. "Now, who am I?"

"Come on, Harry." Sirius prodded his godson. "Help Dr. Richards remember who he is."

Harry thought for a moment. Something in what his godfather had said rang a bell for him.

"Doc-cor!" Harry suddenly piped up proudly.

Sirius looked like he was going to burst from pride. But his pleased expression vanished quickly when he met Aaron Richards' hard stare.

"What?" Sirius cried indignantly.

Aaron shook his head and turned back to Harry. "Sirius, it's suppose to be an exam to check the child's memory retention. Not your's."

Remus snorted, catching Harry's attention. Harry watched the other man for a moment, then began to laugh as well, clapping his hands at Remus, who in turned waved at Harry with a smile.

"Well, right then." Aaron stated, watching Harry giggle at whatever Remus was doing behind his back. "How's his speech progressing? Is he learning any new words?"

As if on cue, Harry piped up with a word that Remus was fairly certain would have been inappropriate in almost any given situation.

Aaron's eyes widened in surprise. He then turned a firm stare to Sirius.

Sirius snapped his attention instantly up to Remus' ceiling.

"Merlin's Beard, Remus!" Sirius stated suddenly. "Your ceiling needs painting!"

"And your mouth needs washing!" Aaron snapped back at Sirius.

Sirius turned back to the doctor, looking utterly surprised. "What?"

"Where else would he have learned something like that?" Aaron said firmly.

"Well," Sirius thought for a moment, "what about Remus?"

"Remus Lupin couldn't say that word if I wrote it down for him on a piece of parchment and gave him a dictionary for reference."

Remus started to say something in defense of his often over-emphasized prudishness, but Sirius cut him off.

"Aaron, I'm not trying to teach him things like that. But the kid is a parrot. He repeats things like crazy."

"He's a baby, Sirius. That's how they learn speech! By repeating the things they hear adults say."

"So what am I suppose to do?" Sirius asked. "Stop talking?"

"Clean up your vocabulary." Aaron stated sharply. 

Sirius huffed loudly and took to sulking.

"All right then, Harry," Aaron continued as he lifted Harry to his feet, "let's see how the standing and walking things are going, shall we?"

Almost as soon as Aaron let go of the child, Harry plopped back down on the table.

"Well, that sort of negates the walking thing I would guess."

"Sort of hard to learn when your godfather obligingly carries you everywhere you want to go." Remus put in helpfully.

Aaron turned a disapproving stare once again to Sirius, who met it with his own.

"What?" Sirius stated. "Me again? Tell me something, Aaron." He added. "Have I done anything right in taking care of this child?"

"Well, he's alive."

"And you'll likely attribute that to Remus."

"Don't know. Who feeds him?"

Sirius' hand beat Remus' into the air.

"And who washes him?"

Both hands stayed in the air.

"And who changes him?"

Both hands stayed up.

"And who makes sure he sees a proper doctor?"

Sirius put his hand down, but turned a frown to Remus, whose still had his hand proudly held in the air.

"Oh, put it down!" He stated firmly. "The man said a 'proper' doctor."

"From the looks of things," Aaron commented as he packed his bag up, "I'd say that between the two of you, the child shows a good chance of survival."

"But what about his talking, Aaron?" Remus asked as Sirius quickly scooped Harry up off the table. "And the fact he isn't walking yet?"

"Based on the child's history, Remus," Aaron explained, "I wouldn't worry too much right now. He's a bit behind, but not as far as you'd think. And it is to be expected under the circumstances of his up-bringing so far. Children need stimulus to learn. Especially early in life. Harry simply hasn't had that. Not with his Aunt and Uncle by their own doing, and not with Sirius."

Sirius turned a heated stare to Aaron.

"Not by your own fault, Sirius." Aaron pointed out. "But what were you doing while you had him? I'm sure you gave him what time you could, but the majority of that time was likely focused on trying to provide food and shelter, trying to stay clear of the ministry and the muggle police, as well as just trying to figure out what you were suppose to be doing, having never cared for a child full-time before. Personally, based on the circumstances, I think you did an admirable job with Harry. But now it's time to focus on the child's development. And for starters," Aaron added, reaching over and taking Harry from Sirius and placing him on the floor, "the child is too young for a taxi service. He wants to go somewhere, let him get there on his own."

Harry immediately looked about. The floor was not a common place for him and he rapidly decided he didn't much like it. Turning to Sirius the baby raised his arms and started babbling at his godfather.

Obligingly, Sirius started to lean down.

"Sirius!" Aaron snapped at him.

Sirius quickly stood back up, looking questioningly at the doctor.

"I can see the child isn't the only one who needs re-training." He sighed, turning back to Remus. "Just give him some time...and some toys....and I think you'll be amazed at how fast he'll catch up. He's really a very bright child."

"Sirius or Harry?" Remus asked with a small smile.

Aaron turned around to find Sirius now crouched in front of Harry, happily playing with his godson.

"He's going to take a great deal of re-training." Aaron sighed. "Sirius." Aaron called to him.

Sirius looked up.

"Back away from the baby."

Sirius looked puzzled. "Why?"

"Just do it."

Sirius stood up and back a few feet away from Harry.

The baby sat for a few moments, then raised his arms to Sirius. Sirius took a step forward, but then stopped, turning his eyes to Aaron. From the look he met with, Sirius obediently took a step back and remained there.

Harry started babbling rapidly at his godfather and continued reaching for him. 

Sirius remained where he was.

Getting frustrated, Harry started to cry.

Sirius immediately launched forward, but Aaron stopped him again.

"Sirius! Leave him be."

"But he's crying!"

"Children do that. Especially when they aren't getting what they want."

Sirius looked very disgruntled, but again returned to where he had been standing.

After several ear piercing minutes went by without results, Harry quieted down some. Sniffing over his tears of anger and frustration, he finally pulled over to his knees and began crawling over to Sirius.

Sirius looked over at Aaron, who quickly waved Sirius to begin backing up. Sirius frowned, but did as he was instructed and took a step back. Harry paused as his target moved, but continued on a few seconds later. Obediently Sirius continued backing up until he was out of view of Aaron and Remus, with Harry continuing after him and picking up speed.

"And how long do you think that lasted?" Remus asked as Harry scooted out of view around the door.

"Less than five seconds after that child was out of view." Aaron stated, turning back to Remus. "Just see to it he adheres to the rules." Aaron instructed. "He's not to carry that child everywhere. And see if you can't start the boy learning some appropriate language, please. He'll have to mix with society one day, after all."

Remus smiled slightly as he showed Aaron to the door.

"By the way," Aaron asked as he stood in the doorway, glancing past Remus to see if Sirius was anywhere about, "how are things on the legal side? With the ministry and the muggle police and all that?"

"Well, the muggle police were easy enough to pacify." Remus explained. "Albus simply pointed out to the Dursley's that if Sirius was accused of kidnapping Harry, and convicted, that Harry would be returned to them. So it's all now been called a horrible misunderstanding. The dog was explained as being Sirius', who was just guarding the child people saw him with, so everyone isn't still on the look-out for a large black dog attacking helpless infants, and Sirius paid for everything Padfoot stole. So we're clear on the muggle side."

"What about the house?"

"Gas explosion. And the insurance will rebuild for them, so the muggles are happy."

"And Sirius is cleared of that?"

"Sirius was never convicted of that, Aaron." Remus reiterated. "He was only wanted for questioning. And besides, there really wasn't a scrap of evidence to tie Sirius to that. The muggles admitted that they ran from the house long before it blew up and they have no idea if Sirius was still there or not. And there wasn't a trace of magic that the ministry could tie to Sirius in the incident. If anything, a few of them are starting to realize it was likely Deatheaters. And, since the only way they could have gotten through the wards was if Harry was no longer near the house, it's even more likely Sirius and Harry had already apparated out of the area when they arrived. More likely than not, Sirius saved the lives of everyone in that house. Since if everyone had stayed, the Deatheaters would have attacked just the same. And who knows what the muggles would have done? Probably tried to run from the house. Then the Deatheaters would have had them for sure."

"And James and Lily Potters Murders?"

Remus paused. "The ministry still wants to question Sirius about that." He replied quietly. "But Albus has spoken to them on Sirius' behalf, promising them Sirius will stay here until he's recovered and then Sirius will go to the ministry for questioning."

"And they agreed to that?" Aaron asked in disbelief. He had had enough dealings with the ministry himself trying to protect his own kind to know the ministry was rarely that accommodating.

"Well, at least they know where he is. Albus has agreed to allow Sirius and Harry to stay at the castle for now. But they'll be moving to my house as soon as all the protection wards are back in place. Ministry mucked them up a bit with moving them about. And again, they really have very little to tie Sirius to what happened. At this point I think they're looking at him more as a material witness than a suspect."

"Don't count on it." Aaron replied with a frown.

"We'll be careful just the same."

Aaron nodded and left, apparating once he was outside the fields.

Remus came downstairs in the afternoon a few days later to find Sirius sitting on the rug in the livingroom, entertaining Harry as he levitated a toy just above the baby's reach. A toy Remus eyed with suspicion.

"That looks new." He commented with a touch of irritation.

"Is. Got it this morning. And Harry loves it. Don't you, Harry?" Sirius beamed at his godson as the toy came within reach and Harry snatched it out of the air.

Sirius had been given some access back to his accounts at Gringotts' once the ministry were satisfied they had enough ways to track him if he tried to escape their watch over him. And Sirius had wasted no time at all in making use of his re-newed acquaintance with his money, heading right for the nearest toy store in Hogsmeade with Harry.

"Sirius, do you remember the talk we had about buying Harry toys?"

"Yes, I do, Remus." Sirius replied, levitating the toy again as Harry squealed with delight. "And boring it was, too."

"Sirius! He has a room full of toys. You're going to spoil him!" Remus stated in exasperation.

"Good. He deserves to be spoiled. And as I recall, your doctor said Harry needed toys."

"'Toys', Sirius. But not every blessed one ever made. It's not good for him to be given everything he wants. At the rate you're going, what will you get him for Christmas?"

"Everything he wants." Sirius replied, most of his focus on his godson.

"You're not paying attention." Remus stated flatly.

"Yes, I am." Sirius turned to his friend. "And as boring as you're being again, let me tell you, it ain't easy."

"Sirius, Harry needs to learn a little discipline. That comes from not being given everything you want." Remus stated evenly, putting a slight emphasis on each word.

"Remus, Harry is a child. They are for spoiling." Sirius replied, emphasizing each word as Remus had done.

"Well, don't come crying to me when your Gringotts vault is empty, Mr. Black."

"Look, Remus," Sirius said, turning about on the carpet to face him from the floor, "Harry hasn't had a decent toy in months. What's the harm here?"

"You haven't been listening." Remus stated exasperatedly.

"Child. Don't spoil. Nothing left for Christmas. Satisfied?"

Remus stared back at him with a look McGonagall would have applauded. 

In the meantime, dissatisfied with Sirius' sudden lack of attention, Harry had attached himself to his godfather's back and was attempting to scale him.

"Well, I have news for you, Remus Lupin." Sirius stated firmly, giving Harry a hand up to his shoulder. "He's my godson, and I'm going to spoil him rotten."

"And that's just what you'll have."

Sirius pulled a giggling Harry up and over his shoulder. The child tumbled down into Sirius lap, laughing the whole way. Sirius picked him up and hugged him closely to him. "He's all I have left of James and Lily, Remus. They gave him into my care. Trusted me to look out after him. And that's just what I intend to do. I'm going to be there for him every minute of every day and every night. I want to see everything he does, everything he learns. I want to be there when he flies on his first broom, when he casts his first spell, when he transfigures his first teacup, and when he messes up his first potion. I want to be there for it all."

Remus crouched down in front of them. "Ahhhh, look at that, Harry." He stated with a smile at the baby. "You're mummy and daddy didn't get you a godfather," he added, looking sternly at Sirius as he dropped his sweet tone, "they got you you're very own stalker."

Sirius stuck his tongue out at Remus. "Jealous."

"Jealous? Of you? Ha! I am his favorite uncle, after all, Sirius."

"Ohhhh, hard competition there. Vernon Dursley or Peter."

Remus frowned at him.

Harry started to giggle again. The baby then clapped his hands and shouted. "Paf. Paf."

Remus smiled down at Sirius as he stood back up. "Well, at least we all know who the favorite family 'pet' is, don't we, 'Paf'?"

Sirius frowned at him, but obligingly transformed for Harry, who rewarded Sirius with a squeal of delight and several claps.

Remus watched with a bemused expression as Harry launched himself at the large black dog. He wrestled it quickly to the floor, finally pinning it there as he laid over it's back, his hands buried deeply in the shaggy black fur.

"All right. Enough play, Sirius. Time for bed." Remus suddenly announced.

Sirius quickly transformed back with Harry still laying on his back and turned to Remus with a wicked smile. "Why Remus Lupin! You old pervert. Who'd have guessed?"

"Half the school, if you were counting the rumors. And I meant the child, you over-grown two year old. Go put him down for a nap, or he'll be a handful tonight. And I'm not sitting up with a crying, over-tired child all night just because someone wanted to play all afternoon."

Sirius sighed to himself. He carefully tumbled Harry off his back, then got to his feet, lifting Harry off the floor with him. "All right, all right. We're off. Merlin's Beard," he commented as he walked past Remus, "someone certainly needs a nap. And it ain't the baby."

"Well, feel free to take one. Do you a world of good." Remus replied as they walked past. "Aaron said you still aren't fully over that pneumonia." 

Remus watched as Sirius carried Harry upstairs, a smile on his lips none-the-less. Lily and James certainly couldn't have chosen better then they did. Sirius could make the most doting parents look like slackers.

Remus went into the kitchen to see what he could cook up for dinner. But after fifteen minutes went by and Sirius didn't come back downstairs, Remus decided to go check on him.

Creeping up to the door, Remus carefully pushed it open to find Sirius stretched out on the bed, sound asleep. Next to him lay a sleeping Harry, curled up in a ball and cuddled up against his godfather's chest, his thumb in his mouth. Remus shook his head with a smile as he closed the door. At this point, he though, as he headed back down the stairs, he wasn't sure who was going to spoil who.

Q&A

Whadda' I tell ya'? Was that cute or what?

Family Life

Embyr Black: Family Life may be finished, Dear. But it is being sequeled in the summer with two stories, Family Relations and Family Ties.

Jon's Sunshine + Rupert's Princess: Ms. P.A.R. wishes she was related to Rowling. P.A.R. would be on Aunty JK's 'favorites' list for sure. Would NEVER have to work again.

LilCookie: You're in luck. Most of my stories deal with Sirius and Harry to some degree.

The Bonds That Tie

Mayleesa: You guys, like, all go to school together or something? Everybody seems to know everybody here.

Anyway, thank you. I'm glad you're enjoying this story.

Taracollowen: Whereas I appreciate the dedication, Dear, really, you need to work on the sleep thing.

As to the posting confusion, Fanfiction.net (and I'll stop there or I may say something unkind) has changed their posting practices. Therefore, P.A.R. put up the changes for the new chapter, then tried to upload it only to find herself having to learn a whole new way to do that. Trust me, you all have never come closer to NOT getting a chapter Sunday night as you did last Sunday.

As to the Port-key issue, ummmm, were you talking about them using a port key anywhere around Remus' house, or Hogwarts. If it had to do with anyone for any reason using a port-key to get to or from Remus' house, the wards prevented that. If it was about why they didn't take a port-key to get to Hogwarts, and they could have done that due to port-key use within Hogwarts' protection wards was spelled out in GoF, Remus didn't have a port-key. And no, they aren't something you just pick up and enchant for fun and profit. And since it was never spelled out any differently by Ms. (Mrs.?) Rowling, I'm allowed to say that.

You may be reviewing a non-existent chapter, Dear, but be proud! I do think that's a first.

Yeah, the sequel's title is.....well, what can I say, pessimistic?

I'm glad to have cleared up the James thing for you.

Ohhhhhhh! An idea! From my story?! Do let P.A.R. know when you have it up, Dear. I'd love to read it!

Teigra: James' whole point to Sirius was that he did not make Sirius a godparent for Sirius to just play with the idea until he got bored being a parent, then pass Harry off to whoever he felt like. Sirius made a promise. A very solemn and important one. I mean, Lily and James could have chosen anyone to be Harry's godfather. Even Dumbledore. But they chose Sirius. So they must have had a good reason. James basically told Sirius to get over himself and live up to his obligation. (But in the nicest possible way.)

Lin-z: I hope you had a nice birthday, Dear.

Yes, the chapters are getting fluffier which each passing week, aren't they?

Elizabeth Bathory: I always try to read and review others stories. But if you've seen any of my reviews, you well know they aren't the standard one-liners. They take a considerable amount of time to do. But I'll see what I can do.

Midori-sama: I enjoy making Sunday night something to look forward to for people. And I'm pleased to think I'm one of the people keeping you in this category.

Of course Sirius is cute. Why else would an older, single female keep writing about him?

Voltora: Restricted! How awful! I remember the bad old days when Fanfiction.net crashed every other day. It was not pleasant. But glad to have you (and your thesaurus) back.

Oh! It's in parts! And look! You're using your thesaurus again! That's nice, Dear.

Oh! A longer one this time.

No need to learn another language. Just whip out that thesaurus and start flipping the pages.

I could never eat my mousepad. It's a floaty kind with stuff in the middle that moves around. Very nice.

I could rarely resist Sirius-Padfoot eyes. And the answer to that one was in the Author Notes. There's one more chapter to go. And they just keep gettin' cuter. Oh, wait! I said I couldn't get any cuter than this one.

Well, chapter fourteen is cute too.

Nicky: That's the title, folks. Ain't changin' it. Ain't explaining it.

Once again, poor Remus gets left holding the bag. He had to say SOMETHING! It was, once again, just the first thing he could think of. This is, after all, the same man who named his pet dog 'Blacky'.

What's IMO, Dear?

As for Dumbledore, I think the old bird looks further into the future than most people. And I'm betting on a really good reason surfacing soon as to why he sent Harry to the Dursley's and not to someone else. I mean, on the surface, even Snape would have been better. Or why not raise him at Hogwarts? It's suppose to be the safest place in the world. There had to be some other reason. Maybe it was character building.

Starlight: Having re-read my reviews from the last chapter, I will say I wasn't jumped on as bad as I first read them. But they weren't the usual happy little review I was use to. I was of the impression the 'James and Lily' thing didn't go over too well. But I am a sensitive person. (Yeah, right!)

But I'm glad you liked it, and this one.

vmr: Thank you.

Lotesse: You think Harry was cute last chapter? Good heavens, what was he this time? But true. There is nothing cuter than a happy baby.

OHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! THANK YOU for saying that about the James thing!!!!!!!!! That's my nicest comment to date!

I wrote it for A.N.G.U.I.S.H.. Geeeez! Where have you people been? 

And if you think I'm going to tell you how it's going to end....HA!

Ummmmm, about the thermometer thing. You've never had to take a pet to the vet? Seen how they take an animal's temperature? Let me put it to you this way. You NEVER want a vet to put his thermometer in your mouth. I don't care how clean he swears it is. I don't care if he scrubs it down in front of you. DON'T put that thing in your mouth. If that doesn't explain it for you, look at it this way. Why do you think Padfoot 'sat' down?

Sorry, the rescue is as explained as it's going to get. I just didn't think there was that much more to say.

Thank you for explaining the word.

LauraBlade: However you choose to get it to me, Dear, I'll gladly take a look at it. And by the way, if you chose to do it by my e-mail address, which is P.A.R. @ Fanfiction.Net, and I actually get it (e-mail hasn't been used yet and I'm not quite sure it's even active), do leave a return address so I can send my response back, yes?

And I'm very pleased you liked the chapter.

Phoenix: Thank you. Very glad you liked it.

Zimmy Russell: Yes, Zimmy, I missed you. You know I did.

Boy, you'd think those cruises would make enough money without having to nickel and dime you to death.

Yes, I should have made the wand mint flavored. Everyone likes mint!

Overdosing him? Are you nuts!? (Never mind.) You should see what my doctor has ME taking!

No, no. We can't applaud you if Whisp helped.

'Abmonished' is indeed not a word. Hopefully what I wrote is 'Admonish'. I'm just to tired to go look. By the way, it means 'to scold'.

'Exacerbate' is a word. It means 'to worsen, aggravate, or intensify something'.

'Perpetually' means 'constantly'.

Don't worry about the depression thing, Dear. It's never forever. Just remember that. And who the heck wants to be happy all the time? Well, O.K., there's Lupin.

Tried And Convicted is the standing title. I have no intention of changing it.

I can never remember the name of the guy playing Lockhart. But he is fairly well known. But I don't recall his name in connection with Wild, Wild, West.

And miscasting PoA would not make it a bad movie, Dear. It would make it a disaster. They have to be extremely careful. But if they listen to Rowling, as they have been so far, they should be O.K..

RavenNat: Actually, you got me on the Remus thing. I mean, I've read a few of your stories and they seem to deal with a variety of characters without centering on just one.

Happy reading with Family Life. I'm glad you're enjoying it.

True, what is there not to love about Padfoot? 

I'm very glad you like Sirius and 'Bella. I thought Sirius needed someone to help on the parenting thing. And Harry deserved a mother as well as a father. But since the focus of Family Life is the whole 'family', I didn't want any one concept to overshadow the others. So the romance thing is greatly down-played. I didn't, after all, want that to be the story.

Chapter 18 was a great deal of fun to write. But as that it was the first chapter written, therefore my first attempt at fanfiction in this genre, Chapter 11 will always be my favorite.

I browsed Sugarquill the other day. It was nice. Format was a tad confusing. But some of the FanArt was simply outstanding. Truly some of the best I've seen. I haven't checked out the Registry yet.

I can agree to a point that there is some 'junk' on Fanfiction.Net. But I can't fault them for the service they provide. I think they have done a magnificent job laying out the format for this site and managing it as well as they do. This category alone is enormous. But the sheer volume they handle earns them my applause. My only complaint with them falls close to your comment. And I reserve the term 'junk' to certain sectors. These are those who insist on posting unfinished stories. This is a tremendous pet peeve of mine. And it's not so much the unfinished stories, folks. Don't get me wrong. Even these can serve to fuel someone else's imagination. But when you write three chapters, don't finish the story, but insist on posting the same unfinished three chapters again a few months or weeks later because you want to sucker in some more reviews, that's wrong. But that's my opinion.

Calistal: Thank you. 

Alexa Black: Well, the past hasn't 'really' been changed, Dear. It's an AU. Therefore, the current 'present' doesn't really exist in this story. And that's as far down that road as P.A.R. wants to go or it's gonna get REALLY confusing.

tima: Thank you.

Sailor Sol: Keep up with the late nights, Dear, and you'll turn into some type of creative person. We're notorious night-owls. And I'm honored that my story is now ranking over sleep. I don't know that that's a good thing, but....O.K..

Kim: I thought a touch of humor was needed. As to 'where's Dumbledore', I'd like to just say 'in his office', but if you're referring to why hasn't he been more visible in the story, I can only say 'time'. This story is much shorter than I would have liked it to be, but I only have so much time to dedicate to each story. So things, or character roles, have to be shortened sometimes.

lilahp: I don't know what to say, except, man, you are one UNHAPPY little reader right now, aren't you? Sorry.

Anyway, as to my Sirius/Lupin theory, I just found it very interesting that Sirius doesn't so much as mention Lupin even ONCE in GoF. And it was LONG book, folks. And this is supposedly his best friend? I'm betting on an oversight on Rowling's part, but who knows? I mean, general consensus is that Remus and Sirius return in Book Five. I'm curious as to what the relationship will be. It would be a source of good conflict.

I do like the Snape babysitting scenario.

Why does everyone want to see that poor child get sick? Anyway, Harry is picking something up from Sirius, as you saw in this chapter. But it isn't his illness. 

But sorry, no Forbidden Forrest, Moaning Myrtle, stock pot, or Snape right now. Just an unbelievable amount of 'cute'.

Karla: And you thought that last chapter was cute?

It's entirely possible I misread your review. P.A.R. is a bit tired on Sunday nights.

I always appreciate a Continuity editor. Feel free to browse for errors all you want. There's bound to be some. Especially in the next two chapters. Not so much that you'll se them now, but the sequel could be a bit tricky if I don't cover all my bases just right. Tried And Convicted is a very complicated story.

Oh, by the way, as of 02022002, my hits to these stories are now over 6,000. Yah!!!!!! 

All reviews are as of 04132002. P.A.R.'s book of the week, How To Fund Your Retirement Through Extortion by I.M.A. Lonsharke.

Thank you all for your reviews.

See you next week. 


	16. Chapter Fourteen: Every Parents Worst N...

A/N: Actually, the title of this chapter goes more with the last few lines, which should have been a chapter in and of themselves for the title to make any sense. But I thought this arrangement was better than to have the last chapter be REALLLLLLLY long, and this one ridiculously short. Once you read it, you'll understand.

Now, yes, this is the last chapter of The Bonds That Tie. I hope you have enjoyed my try at anguish. My Klennex stock didn't go up as much as I hoped, but then again, neither did any of my other investments.

As promised, since I'm officially starting my vacation with the publication of this chapter, and to keep you guys interested enough to come back for Family Relations, I'm posting the first chapter of that story as a sneak peek at the end of Q&A. I hope you enjoy it, remember it, and come back to read it whenever I actually get around to posting it. But I am working hard on it. And by the way, if you think the end of the first chapter is the reason for why I keep telling you Sirius isn't 'exactly' in Family Relations, just allow me to say, nope!

Tried and Convicted, the sequel to The Bonds That Tie, will be out first though. It's really just my way to tie up some lose ends. It's not very long, folks. A few chapters at best. The next story out will be Enemies, because you need some background on Orion Black before you begin Family Relations. Somewhere in there I'll throw out Siriusly Bored, which is another Sirius/Baby Harry story, but more along the lines of A Dog's Day. Another of P.A.R.'s little attempts at humor. And which, by the way, has NOTHING to do with the AU of The Bonds That Tie, O.K.?

One last thing. I barely had time to proof-read this, so forgive the errors. 

Chapter Fourteen: Every Parents Nightmare 

After several weeks of staying in the castle, Sirius and Harry finally, happily moved into Remus' small cottage. It wasn't that the castle wasn't a nice place to stay, but Sirius felt it simply wasn't the place he wanted to try and make a home for Harry.

Thankfully, there wasn't a lot, past Harry's toys, to move. Sirius seemed to have adapted their sparse style of living on the streets to his life in general. And despite Remus' attempts to get him to buy things for himself, Sirius seemed focused on buying things solely for Harry.

Several mornings after Sirius and Harry had settled into Remus' cottage, Remus came downstairs and stepped into his cozy little kitchen to find Sirius sitting in one of the chairs at the table with a squirming Harry sitting in a highchair across from him. Sirius was making several attempts to get his godson to take a spoonful of cereal with little success.

"Maybe he doesn't like it, Padfoot." Remus offered up as a reason for Harry's blatant refusal.

"He loved it yesterday." Sirius replied dismally as he tried again, unsuccessfully, to get Harry to take a bite.

"That was yesterday." Remus replied. "This is today. New day. New rules."

Sirius leaned back in his chair with a sigh as Remus came over and lifted Harry out of his highchair. "Let's try some milk instead." Remus suggested.

"He's already had a bottle." Sirius answered.

Remus held Harry up in the air with a pleased smile. "Did you?" He exclaimed. "What a good boy, Harry!"

"He's not a dog, Remus."

"And you would know." Remus replied, sticking his tongue out at Sirius.

Harry laughed happily at the display and clapped his hands several times. Lowering the baby down, Remus started towards the refrigerator when Harry began to squirm about in his arms and turned to Sirius.

Holding his two small hands out towards his godfather, Harry cried, "Da!"

Sirius dropped the spoon he was holding as Remus nearly dropped Harry. Neither of them had ever heard that particular word from the child before.

Turning Harry about to face him, Remus gave the child a proud smile.

"Harry, you learned a new word!" Remus exclaimed happily.

Harry squirmed about until he was facing his godfather again and once more reached out to him.

"Da!" Harry cried again. "Da, da, da, da, da, da."

Remus turned a pleased smile to his friend. But it immediately disappeared when he saw the stricken look on Sirius' face.

"Sirius?"

Sirius nearly knocked the chair over behind him as he got to his feet and left the room as quickly as he could.

As the problem suddenly dawned on Remus, he quickly left after Sirius. 

Finding him sitting in the livingroom on the sofa by Harry's playpen, Remus slowly walked over and sat next to him.

"It's just a word to him, Sirius." Remus offered quietly as Harry quickly climbed between the two and into Sirius' lap. "He probably doesn't even understand it yet."

"I'm not the one he should be calling that, Remus." Sirius replied miserably as he stared sadly down at his godson who was playing happily in his lap with a toy he had found sitting on the sofa cushion. "It's.....like a betrayal to James for his son to be calling me that for the first time. He said have said that to James. Not me."

"Life isn't often fair, my friend." Remus answered. "But Sirius, you shouldn't feel any betrayal. James and Lily both picked you for that roll in Harry's life if anything happened to them. It's what they wanted."

"It shouldn't have had to be, Remus." Sirius said quietly. "It just shouldn't have had to be."

Remus did his best over the next few days to brighten Sirius' mood. And to some small degree he succeeded, only to have it shot down each morning when Sirius would appear in the kitchen only to have Harry pipe up with what was rapidly becoming an offensive word in the household. Harry received no praise whatsoever for the word. If anything, he would retreat into himself almost immediately at the dark look he would get from his godfather each time he said the word. But nothing Sirius did or said dissuaded Harry from using the word. Neither man could think for the life of them where he had picked it up, although Sirius had his sights set on the house elves at the castle.

After a week of Remus watching his efforts to cheer Sirius up shot down each morning, Remus started dedicating an exorbitant amount of time to working on Harry's vocabulary. Sirius wasn't sure, nor would Remus tell him, exactly what went on during these daily language lessons. But nor did he interfere, figuring if anyone was the proper language professor for the child, it was the all to well articulated Remus Lupin.

However, a week after the lessons had started, Sirius found himself practically dragged into the livingroom one afternoon by an overly-excited Remus, who sat him in a chair by the fireplace and quickly disappeared out of the room again, telling him to stay put.

"Thinks I'm his bloody dog." Sirius grumbled. His mood hadn't been good all morning. But it turned to curiosity when Remus returned a few moments later carrying Harry in his arms.

Remus sat Harry on the sofa before Sirius and crouched in front of him.

"All right now, Harry," Remus said, barely containing his excitement, "let's show Sirius what we've learned, shall we?"

"Learned?" Sirius questioned cautiously. "What have you been teaching the child, Remus? I mean, I'll eventually be blamed for it. So I want to know what it is."

"Shhhhh!" Remus hissed at him, waving him off at the same time. "You'll make him nervous."

Sirius sighed and sat back in his chair.

"Now," Remus said in the same excited voice as he stared expectantly at the child, "Harry, who am I?"

"Have you gone and lost your memory like Dr. Richards, Remus?" Sirius asked in a bored manner.

Remus sighed loudly, but kept his attention focused on the child sitting in front of him.

"Harry," Remus asked again, "who am I?"

Harry stared up at the man in front of him. He knew the voice. It was familiar enough. But that didn't offer a lot of consolation. Which, with so much attention focused on him, was what Harry was looking for.

Well, Harry had one answer for what to do when he got nervous. Promptly his thumb went into his mouth and the child started sucking like crazy on it.

Sirius stared at Harry for a moment, then back at Remus. "You taught him to suck his thumb?" He asked.

Harry quickly turned his head to the sound. 

His voice!

A smile quickly came to Harry's face as he focused on the man sitting behind the one in front of him.

"Harry?"  
Harry turned back to the other voice.

"Come on now." Remus nearly pleaded with the child. "Show Sirius how smart you are. Once again now, who am I?"

Harry looked at the man before him. The person patted his chest and stated something rather firmly. Harry started getting a little more nervous and quickly turned his gaze to the other person in the room. The one who always made him feel safe.

"Harry!"

Harry shifted his attention again. The other man was now staring at him in a way that made Harry feel even worse than he already did. Harry began sucking harder on his thumb.

The man wanted something.

From the tip of his memory, Harry could vaguely remember the routine. The man would make the same gesture he was making now. Harry had given a response and he had gotten a treat.

Harry remembered the treats. And he sorely wanted one now.

Harry waved one arm in the air at the man, trying to convey his desire to him.

"Harry." The man said again, making the same gesture with a bit more emphasis, "who am I?"

The voice was a bit harder sounding now, and a little more agitated. Neither of which was making Harry feel very comfortable or safe.

Harry turned back to his voice. He liked his voice better than the other one. It was usually soft and comforting, and always managed to make him feel safe.

"Remus, he's getting upset." Sirius stated calmly. "Maybe we should just do this later."

Harry listened to his voice. It didn't sound upset or angry, so the other voice must not be a danger, even though it was starting to give Harry a feeling he didn't much like.

"No. Now...., he did it just this morning, Sirius. He's just nervous." Remus stated quickly, trying to keep his voice even. "Come on now, Harry." He coaxed the child. "You did it just this morning. I know you can do this."

Harry stared at the man before him. He was starting to get bored. The voice was just making noise. And that didn't much interest him.

Harry turned back to his voice. It was always good at thinking up fun things to do.

Harry promptly held two arms up in the air. 

"Paf!" He cried.

Sirius smiled slightly as Remus frowned at the child.

"That's it?" Sirius asked. "Remus, he could already do that."

Remus now looked down right distressed. He quickly knelt in front of Harry. 

"Harry," he pleaded, "come on now. For me. For Moony. Show Sirius what you've learned. Who am I?"

Harry's attention suddenly shifted back to the man before him . A word caught his attention and a spark of memory showed in his face. He knew the word. 

Harry concentrated very hard. What was the word the other voice liked so well?

"Moony!" Harry suddenly piped up.

To his delight, the other voice suddenly began lavishing praise on him in a happy sounding tone and a biscuit appeared in his hand.

Harry quickly shoved the treat into his mouth. Mission accomplished. Time to go do something that was more fun. Maybe the other voice had some ideas. 

Harry stuck two arms up in the air again. "Moony!" He cried again.

All he got this time was patted on the head. But the other voice still sounded happy.

"Very, very good, Harry!" The man praised him. "Now," he continued, sounding a little less pleased, "what about the other word we learned?"

Harry got very quiet.

"Harry?" The voice asked. This time the man moved and pointed to Harry's voice. "Harry, who is that?"

"Remus?" Sirius asked suddenly in a slightly dark sounding tone. "What is this?"

But Remus waved him off quickly. "If you stay quiet, you'll see." Remus instructed him. Turning back to Harry, Remus pointed at Sirius again. "Harry, who is that?"

Harry thought very hard. He was remembering the routine better now. But he still couldn't quite get it. There was something else he was suppose to do, and he would get another biscuit. But he just couldn't remember it.

Remus noted the child's growing look of distress. Waving his hand behind him, he spoke to Sirius. "Transform, will you, Sirius?"  
"What?"

"Just do it."

Sirius sighed. But a second later, before the chair sat the large black dog.

"Now, Harry," Remus tried again, "who is that?"

Harry looked at the dog. "Paf!" He cried happily.

"Very good. Now," Remus turned briefly back to Sirius, "if you would be so kind."

The dog gave him an irritated look and transformed back.

"Now," Remus turned back to Harry, pointing to Sirius, "who is that?"

"Pa....." Harry began. But something sparked in his memory suddenly. "Foot!" He cried happily. "Pafoot, Pafoot, Pafoot!"

"Excellent! Tell McGonagall to give Gryffindor a hundred points when you get to Hogwarts!"

Remus turned back to Sirius, who was now sitting in his chair again. But his expression wasn't what Remus had hoped for.

"Pa-foot?" Sirius questioned past a deep frown.

"Pafoot!" Harry happily repeated.

"Shouldn't there be a 'D' in that word somewhere, Moony?"

"Well," Remus said carefully, "Padfoot is a bit more complicated. Moony was a bit easier for him from the start. But he'll get better as he gets use to it."

Sirius paused, then got up from the chair and walked over to the sofa. He picked Harry up from the sofa as Remus stood back up. 

"Well, it was a thought." He said almost apologetically. "I thought it was better than, you know......, the 'other' word."

Sirius paused as he played for a moment with Harry. But slowly he turned back to Remus, a small grin creeping across his features which eventually turned into a genuine smile.

"Well," He said finally, "then I guess I'm 'Pafoot' for a while." 

"Pafoot!" Harry happily agreed.

Sirius turned back to Remus, grabbing his friend in a one armed hug. "Thank you, Moony." He said sincerely. "I think it's the nicest thing I'll ever hear him say."

Harry suddenly piped up with a different word. One that caused Remus' mouth to drop and a hand to suddenly slap over his face when Sirius repeated the same word with a good deal more emphasis in response to Harry's expletive.

Remus sighed loudly as he shook his head, still resting in his hand. "The child has nowhere to go but up." He replied dismally. 

For the next several days, the two men set about trying to teach Harry new words. Ones that generally, didn't involved four letters and, that wouldn't get even a sixth year detention.

Walking into the kitchen one morning, Remus was reading over the front page of the Daily Prophet, barely paying any attention to Sirius where he sat at the table with Harry seated next to him in his highchair.

"So," Remus asked, as he did on most mornings for the past few weeks, "what's the word of the day?"

Every morning began the same way. Remus would walk into the kitchen amid a repetition of a single word as Sirius tried to get Harry to repeat the sound.

But when Sirius didn't answer right away, Remus dropped the corner of the paper to see what was wrong. 

His gaze met a very stressed looking Sirius.

"Padfoot? What's wrong?" He asked.

Sirius sighed to himself and turned to his godson. "Go on, Harry." He stated. "Tell Remus your new word."

"No!" Harry piped up quickly.

Remus looked a little startled, but quickly shook it off. "Well, that was a bit....rude." He commented, leaning down to Harry's level. "Why don't you want to tell me what your new word is, Harry?" He asked the child.

But Sirius shook his head. "You don't understand, Moony." He stated forlornly. "That is his new word."

"No!" Harry piped up again.

A sudden look of understanding past over Remus' face, followed by one of dismal comprehension. "Oh." He said softly, staring bleakly at the child before him.

Remus had been wrong about Harry's language acquisition. The child didn't have just up or down for directions. Harry had decided to take off full steam ahead. Right into the direction of every parents worst nightmare.

Q&A

Fever

Cheetah: Ohhhhh, thank you. Awesome, huh? Thank you very much!

Family Life

Voltora: Spare time? Spare time? Spare time? Could you describe what that looks like, Dear? P.A.R. isn't entirely sure she's ever seen that particular thing.

Oh, man! The Thesaurus ran off again?!

As for The Bonds That Tie, I was hoping if they ever did get rid of the word, you could help them out. But seeing as you have that missing Thesaurus thing going on right now.......well, you know.

And sorry, I can only post Sundays.

Sailor Sol: Thank you for your review and kind words about the story. I'm very pleased you enjoyed it and liked the ending. I worked for a long time trying to figure out the best way to end that epic. And despite all that work, here I sit getting ready to go to work on the sequel. Anyway, as always, P.A.R. is seriously impressed with anyone who would devote the time and effort into reading Family Life, and I hope to see you back for the two sequels. 

The Bonds That Tie

Whisp! Sorry I missed you last week. But I usually stop answering reviews on Saturday due to my having to work on Sundays for now.

Of course Harry has Sirius wrapped around his finger. That's what babies do.

I'm glad everyone seems to be coming around to liking Aaron. Good for poor old Aaron. I wasn't ever planning a story that involved Aaron as the main character, but from the looks of things, I suppose I'll have to start thinking about one.

Grand plot twists? Me?

A question, Dear. In your second review, end of the first paragraph, you said 'and I could pro.' What is 'pro', Dear?

Ohhhhhhhhh, dang! *P.A.R. grabs Whisp by the sleeve, drags her up on stage.* Here it is, folks! Last gold star of The Bonds That Tie. For catching something that slipped by me who knows how many times by realizing Aaron should have said 'too old' instead of 'too young', *Slaps star on Whisp's forehead.* you, Unicorn Whisperer, have got yourself another gold star! Enjoy! *Shoves Whisp off stage.* Now go polish that MVP aware.

Black Sparkles: Awwww. P.A.R. hopes you are feeling better. No fun being sick.

And I'm sorry I missed you. But reviews have to be cut off Saturday night.

All right. Go crawl back into bed and feel better soon.

Essence of magic: I'd like to give you credit for P.A.R. finishing the story due to your clingy nature, Dear. But P.A.R. would never leave on vacation without finishing a story. It's one of her rules.

Trust me, if P.A.R. didn't have spell check, 'pneumonia' would have been so misspelled, people wouldn't know what was wrong with poor old Sirius.

Elizabeth Bathory: Actually, Dear, I do have some advice for you. Look over the pages of stories, find the day that has the fewest submissions, and post on that day. More to the point though, I have found several things people notoriously do or don't do that I feel are horrible mistakes. (I actually made a list of them and was planning to publish them, but Fanfiction.Net eliminated the 'lists' category and you can't list them in the stories category anymore.) First, they ignore the title completely. This is a very bad thing to do. I can't tell you how many stories I see with titles like 'Can't Think Of A Title' or 'HELP! I Need A Title', or my real favorite, the plain old 'Untitled'. These are almost always skipped by me. Your title is your first opportunity to grab your reader. These don't do that for me. If your not interested enough in your own story to give it a proper title, why should I want to read it?

Next, my absolute personal favorite. Summaries. Take some time on your summary, please! This is your opportunity to tell me why I should read your story. What makes your story so much better than the rest. PLEASE do not beg (Please read my story), threaten (If I don't get 'insert number' of reviews, I won't post the next chapter.), or tell me why I SHOULDN'T read your story (I know this is lame, but read it anyway.). If you don't like your story, or feel I need to be threatened or bribed to read it, chances are, I won't. Oh, and don't cuss at me please (Just read the damn thing.). You have two lines to catch my interest. Use them well.

Also, take time and fix those spelling errors. Nothing in this world turns a reader off like having to wade through a bunch of spelling errors. Grammar errors can be forgiven to a point. We all make them. But please take the time to use that spell checker.

Finally, update regularly. People seem to like that.

Happy writing, Dear.

Lotesse: What can I say? The Prozac finally kicked in.

Well, here Remus sort-of has to be the stick-in-the-mud to balance Sirius' over-indulgence of Harry. If it weren't for Remus, Harry would indeed, as Kim mentioned later in the reviews, be spoiled rotten.

A child's development is tied very closely to his age. In the first few years his developmental skills are going full tilt. Any disruption of that crucial time period can throw a stumbling block into a child's development like you wouldn't believe. Everything that happened to Harry just happened to fall within this time period. Thankfully, he's not out of it yet and can still, as Aaron said, catch up. Which he is doing.

Also, in his time with the Dursley's, keep in mind how he was treated. Or better, how he was 'trained'. 'Sit and be quiet' was the order of the day, every day. Think of that being engrained on that poor child for months. This is the reason Harry was such a 'good' baby for Sirius. He hardly ever cried and he stayed where he was put. (Well, except for that once.) 

Yup! One more chapter. The wrap chap. (I like that.). But look! P.A.R. threw in the first chapter of Family Relations for good measure. (And so I can drive you nuts for a few months.)

Indeed, Tried And Convicted. And you have to know I'm not going to answer any of that.

Namarie.

Mayleesa: Of course I mentioned you, Dear. I always answer my reviewers if I can.

Told you it was fluffy. Like little fuzzy slippers.

Thank you for praying for my job. No word yet.

Teigra: You hope who gets past that stage, Dear? Sirius or Harry? Harry might, with Remus' help. I don't think Sirius ever will.

Remus will always be 'good old Uncle Remus'. Sitting on the sidelines, making sure no one has too much fun. But someone has to be there to balance Sirius' spoiling of the child.

Hermione Gulliver: That's all right, Dear. I know people get busy. *Sniff.* Forget poor old P.A.R.. *Sniff.* No, no. You go on. Have fun. I'll just sit here and wait for you to come back.....alone...in the dark.......with only a candle for heat....and no matches. *Sniff.*

Hey! I do a pretty good Jewish grandmother!

Anyway, yes, Aaron Richards is a full-fledged, fur-shedding, bone-chewing, tail-wagging werewolf.

Nicky: Sorry. But yes, this is the last chapter of this story, then P.A.R. is taking a little vacation to work on some other stories so she has something to post so you have something to look forward to on Monday mornings again. And probably Thursday mornings too, since with all the stuff I'm working on, I'll probably go back to posting twice a week for a while. So, you do come out better in the bargain, Dear. I just need a little time off, is all.

Did I mention I don't generally do the 'band-wagon endings?' In other words, the ones everyone jumps on. (Sirius is cleared, Peter is sent to Azkaban, Sirius gets Harry, adopts him, and everyone lives happily ever after.). No, no, Dear. Those are way too easy.

'Opportunity to mention him'? Come on. How much time does it take to add to a letter, 'Have you heard from Remus?' But the poor man is never mentioned once but in passing at the end. Now granted, Dumbledore wouldn't have told Sirius to lay low at Remus' if he didn't think he's be safe there. But still......., not one 'what happened to the werewolf' from anyone? But I do honestly think it was a possible plot point or simple oversight in the story. I would just find it a lot more interesting if the friendship was rebuilt rather than instantaneously revived.

Thank you for thinking of me and my job. We have not heard so far.

Starlight: Appreciate you liking the James and Lily thing. P.A.R. was a bit worried about that chapter.

I thought the title was appropriate. As is this one.

Phoenix: Thank you. Wasn't sure if people would go for cute in an anguishy story.

LauraBlade: I'll try to get my e-mail up and operating this week. Honestly, I don't know if it is or not. If you send something to me and you get no reply in a week or it comes back, give me a week and try again. I'm just no good with e-mail for some reason.

Thnak you for your best wishes. I hope someone is listening to all these prayers.

Me: CANADA! I'm being read in CANADA! *P.A.R. smiles.* That is SO cool! Wow! Canada!

By the way, you guys got stinkin' gypped in the Olympics.

Ohhhhhh, man, that is such a bummer! All night in line? Geez! And only then to end up without tickets?! Bummer!

Family Life is your favorite? Ohhhhhhhhhh, this makes P.A.R. VERY happy!!!!!!! And Fever is third on the list? Well, I got two of the top three places. So I certainly can't complain!

It's not that I don't like it, Dear. It's just that it's sort of.....unusual.

Yeah, I know, the titles are a bit confusing to keep them in line. Forgive me. P.A.R. gets on a kick and runs with it.

O.K., I won't kill the suspense for you. But you might want to skip the opening chapter, as that Sirius is in it.

Oh! Another review!

Thank you for seeing the brighter side of my vacation. It is, unfortunately, a necessary thing. I mean, it's not just got a down side for you guys, you know. P.A.R. will miss you while she's off working and miss logging in every Monday morning to read her reviews. It was indeed the high point of my week many a time. So, you see, I have proper incentive to get things done as quickly as possible.

Thanks for congratulations on the 'hits' thing. I'm very proud of that. 

Thanks for thinking of me and for the prayers. No interviews this week. Still praying.

Silverfox: Ministries can not be trusted, true enough. And I could say more, but anything else that I would put down would likely only serve to spoil the plot of Tried And Convicted. And I wouldn't want to do that.

Taracollowen: Yes, indeed. Said it was cute. P.A.R. doesn't lie.

I'm not going to say anything in response to your comments about the ministry, and I'll tell you why, and you can draw you're own conclusions. I thought and thought and thought about something I could say in answer, but anything I put down would make writing Tried And Convicted redundant. In other words, saying anything in response would tie so closely to the plot of that story as to simply tell you the plot of that story. So, go read your own review again and happy reading.

Yah!!!!!! Someone else who agrees babies ain't that interesting! (Just cute.).

Ohhhhhh! Sirius 'has a very good character developed'? P.A.R. is sticking that one in her compliments drawer!  
I agree. The old way was easier. But this is suppose to eliminate errors or something.

Maab: Actually, I thought it was too cute for words, myself.

Sailor Sol: You are SO headed for becoming a creative person. Most creative people are the biggest night-owls in the world.

Sirius being cleared of the whole Lily/James thing? Did you miss the title of the sequel, Dear?

A little incentive on the job thing, people. If P.A.R. gets her job, she can write more. Think about it.

Indarea: Indeed. Sweet enough to put a diabetic in a coma.

lilahp: Oh great! Another person trying to figure me out. All right. Bring it on. People have been trying for years.

Now, I don't always do that. Sometimes I'm just in a cute mood. And it may not wear off for several chapters. Not my fault.

Actually, I had to laugh about your discussion scenario. There actually IS a story out there with a very similar plot. The premise was an AU of PoA in which Sirius actually was an insane murderer who actually had betrayed James and Lily to Voldemort and was actually after Harry to kill him. But for the life of me I can't recall the name of the story. Anyone?

RavenNat: Everyone wants to see more of Aaron. I swear, the man's following baffles me. First, everyone was absolutely sure he was going to betray Remus and Sirius to the ministry and that was that. The man was simply not to be trusted. Now he's practically got a fan club. And due to that loyal following, yes, you will see the good doctor poking his thermometer into other stories. But not in the near future. But I have considered a story involving how Dr. Richards came to be in Remus' life. But the way you're most likely to see him in a story is actually as the opposing character to Orion Black.

As for the Registry, I tried looking them up and couldn't find them. And I'm not sure how well they'd take to my stories, as that Remus is mostly just a supporting character in them. Not the main role.

Kim: Welcome! I figured you guys needed a break from the anguish thing. And yes, this is the last chapter to The Bonds That Tie. But it is being sequeled in Tried And Convicted, which is the story about Sirius facing the ministry's accusations. Which I promise you hits the ground running. So be prepared.

True, Sirius is out to see just how quickly you can make a child a spoiled brat. But he has one major hurtle to that goal that I don't think he'll be clearing any time soon named Remus Lupin, who is determined to see that Harry learns discipline and restraint.

I'm not sure right now what else I have planned for this AU. I'm not planning on revisiting it any time soon, though, due to the amount of other stories I'm working on. Currently I have one completed, three I'm working on, and four in the planning stages. And several others fluttering around my head as ideas. So I'm kinda busy right now. But I have considered the Snape babysitting story.

Thanks for the prayers. Can't hurt. Might help. No word yet.

Zimmy Russell: O.K.. Jolt update. Not yet, Dear. Still looking.

Work on that math, Dear. It really is as important as they tell you.

Your dog died!? Ohhhhhh, you poor Dear. P.A.R. is sorry. I don't know what I would do if something happened to one of my two girls (cats). It can be very hard to lose a pet. And people never seem to understand how the pet's owner(?) feels because 'it was just a pet'.

P.A.R. is very please Zimmy is proud of her. But I don't know about the straight fluff writing, Dear. And wasn't the 'star systems' line a Star Trek quote? It sounds very familiar.

That was a good Willy Wonka quote. P.A.R. liked that movie, by the way.

Writers block. Depression. Same thing.

Sorry. I like Richard Harris.

As am I sure for many people, the pop-up ads are irritating. But I do understand the necessity of them and for the fact that their revenue buys me hours of entertainment with Fanfiction.Net for free, I bare with it.

If you mean the Sirius/Lupin theory I was last discussing, it was simply that, due to the fact that Sirius never ONCE mentions Lupin in GoF, I sort of wonder just where that relationship stands. I mean, the two are suppose to be best friends. But he doesn't once mention the man. Even in passing. But it is most likely just an oversight due to time on Rowlings part.

Sorry, no. Not a Star Wars fan. P.A.R hasn't even seen the last Star Wars movie yet.

Thanks for praying for me.

Stay good, Zim.

Essence of Magic: P.A.R. would never take vacation without finishing a story. That would not be nice. And P.A.R.'s readers deserve better than that from her.

Grammar errors? Go read the bio page again. But you were probably correct.

The fact that you liked it does count to P.A.R.. A great deal, as a matter of fact.

Thank you for your good wishes on the job.

As that I am taking my vacation to work on my stories, I'm afraid I can't look at anything else right now, Dear. Sorry. I've got some people I promised reviews to, and that's really all I can do for right now.

Karla: No word on the job yet. But thanks for asking.

Actually, no, I don't think I can get any cuter.

When I read that, I realized it was confusing, but I didn't have time to sort it out and re-write it. Sorry. So here's the scoop. This is the last chapter of The Bonds That Tie. What I said about Continuity Errors and the 'next two chapters' was referring to the chapter posted last week and this one. The Bonds That Tie is being sequeled in a story called Tried And Convicted, which should post shortly. It's not very long.

Thrilled or sulk? *P.A.R. shrugges.* Your call, Dear. Depends on how you look at things, really.

Reviews are as of 04212002. Feel free to look up and read Extortion For Fun And Profit, Or How To Fool Your Friends And Irritate Your Enemies by Nedin Munny.

Enjoy the preview.

All Right! Pay attention, folks, this is important.

As you know, I've never previewed a story before, and to some degree, always told myself I wouldn't. But you guys have been great over the past few months and I wanted to find some way to let you know how much your support and reviews have meant to me. That and I want to drive you crazy.

So, just let me say a few things, then I'll let you get on with the story. Or you can ignore me, and skip to the story anyway.

O.K., first off, this is a rough draft. There are bound to be errors. Bare with me. But I have the outline done for this story, so no conceptual changes that I foresee at this time.

Next, you are getting this pretty much the way it will post when I start the story. That means Author's Notes included. Please don't skip them. They are important. Well, maybe not now. But they will be later on.

Finally, I'm really working very hard on Family Relations. But my time just seems to get cut shorter and shorter and shorter as everyone wants some of it until it seems I have very little left for myself. I am shooting to finish this story in three months. I hope to start posting the beginning of August. But several things could delay that, and they're not all bad. The biggest is that my other story, Enemies, may delay it because it has to post first. But I have already cut that story in two and it will post as a story and a sequel as well. But it ties real close into Family Relations and it's sequel may just be tied to the end of Family Relations. Ya' still with me? The long and short of this is, stay tuned. I will let you know what's going on. And I won't just leave you. I have a few stories I'm working on along with Family Relations that as I looked at things as a whole, I realized that while I could post them after Family Relations, it might make for confusion.

What the heck is she talking about? O.K.. I'll cut to the chase. (P.A.R. is tired and realizes she isn't making a lot of sense.) Folks, what I'm trying to say is simply 'bare with me'. Things may change. Family Relations may go up later than I planned. But there is a definite reason some stories have to go up first. It really does all tie together in a weird sort of way. But hang in there. I'll keep you updated.

Fair?

O.K..

On with the next story, starting with the infamous author's notes.

A/N: Folks, we need to talk.

A few things you need to know before starting this story. They're important...and slightly confusing.

One: Family Relations is the sequel to Family Life. If you haven't read that story, boy, are you gonna be one lost little reader.

Two: If you have read Family Life, you might still be lost. Why? Because I have to make some changes. Nothing drastic. Don't get upset. But they are important.

Change one: Do you remember back in Family Life, when they were all in the chamber in the lair of the Deatheaters? You remember when Harry cast the spell? Do you remember Analisa turning and saying something to Lupin? Good! Now, do me a favor? Forget that part. Small change. The person Analisa was talking to was Snape, not Lupin. (Trust me, it's real important.)

Change two: You remember in Fever I told you that story was in no way related to Family Life except in one small area? For those of you who forgot what that area was, here it is. In the end of Fever, Sirius changed Harry's name, making it now Harry James Potter Black. There was something else involved in the court papers. Remember that? Well, it figures in with this story in a rather big way. (Telling you what right now would ruin the story, so if you forgot, go back and review.) So, the fact of the matter is, while Fever and Family Life aren't related, Family Relations does borrow that one concept from Fever.

Three: Remember, Q&A at the end of each chapter. Feel free to ask questions. Give P.A.R. something to read for a change. After all, I'm giving you something to read.

Four: Oh, and could you back up the time line a little for me? I know Family Life ended with the start of the school term like only a week away. But I need a little more time with this story. So could we back Family Life up a little further? How far? I haven't an exact date yet. But it'll figure into Family Life's changes. So just work with me, O.K.?

Good.

Thanks. 

O.K., one more thing.

Yes! The first few chapters are short. Why? Well, folks, because P.A.R. learned a new word and you have only yourselves to blame for teaching it to me. (Someone mentioned it in a review.). That word is 'Cliffhanger'.

It's a fun little word, and a really great writing tool. (Let's face it, folks, it's the greatest marketing tool ever invented!).

So bare with P.A.R. while she has her little bit of fun.

Be good. Don't flame. And P.A.R. will make the chapters longer. Deal? O.K..

On with the story.

FAMILY RELATIONS 

Chapter One: Meetings

"All right then, Mr. Black. We just have a few more issues that need to be cleared up before we can finalize the adoption of your godson."

Sirius sat in the chair before the caseworker about as stiffly as anyone could, his hand wrapped in a tight grip over the head of his cane. He had lost count of the number of meetings, paper signings, and personal interviews he and Arabella had been through all to try and get to this point. And still they managed to find something to asked him. Of course, Sirius wasn't really that surprised. There was one issue left that they had been skirting about the whole time, but never asked any direct questions about.

Next to him, Arabella was literally on the edge of her chair. She had been the one who had always appeared the most eager each time they had come here. Wondering if each meeting would be the last. If they would finally be handed the adoption papers on that visit.

Sirius had sworn she probably had the whole presentation to Harry planned out. Flying down the hallway screaming for joy quickly came to mind as he envisioned the scene. And he was pretty sure no one had better be between her and her godson on that day. The results could get messy.

"Now, Mr. Black...." The interviewer started.

Sirius' eyes narrowed slightly.

"There is a report we've come across that seems to indicate some sort of a criminal record?"

Sirius quickly produced several papers from his jacket. He had come well prepared for this.

"I was cleared of those charges." Sirius stated simply, leaning forward on his cane as he handed them to the adoption agency worker.

The woman looked over the official documents. When the ministry had finally accepted the parchment given to Harry by Peter Pettigrew as authentic, one of the restitutions they were required to give Sirius was a document stating he was cleared of all charges and was declared free. Of course, two separate documents were required. One signed by the officials of the wizarding community, and one by those of the muggle community, so both would recognize the paper as official.

And a week of articles in the Daily Prophet and the muggle papers, as well as on the muggle news, didn't hurt either. Where had this woman been that week?

The woman behind the desk looked the papers over for a few minutes, which was followed by a few phone calls. She then made a quick copy of the documents before handing them back to Sirius.

"Well, Mr. Black." The woman behind the desk said pleasantly. "That was really the only matter that needed clearing up. But all seems in order in regards to it." She added with a smile. "So....,"

Arabella was barely still sitting on any chair at all as she leaned forward a bit more.

But just then the door to the office opened and a young man hurried in. He hastily placed a note on the woman's desk in front of her, right on top of the adoption papers she was getting ready to sign.

The caseworker quickly read the note over. As she finished she turned to the man standing next to her, her expression somewhere between confusion and irritation.

"They're sure about this?" She asked quietly.

The man nodded.

"They checked the claim?"

The man nodded.

"They're sure?" She emphasized this time.

The man nodded.

"What!?" Arabella nearly shouted. She had been holding onto the edge of the woman's desk at this point. The tension had been building in her all through the interview. That horrible little feeling that she couldn't get rid of that something would go wrong and stop them from being able to adopt her godson.

The woman turned a stoic face back to the couple before her as the man quickly hurried out, closing the door behind him.

"Mr. Black," the woman said calmly, folding her hands on her desk as she gave him a level stare, "I understood that you had custody of your godson."

Sirius' expression shifted ever so slightly to one of confusion. But the grip on his cane tightened enough to turn his knuckles white. "I do." Sirius replied, keeping his voice as even as he could under his growing apprehension. "I gave you the papers. You have your copies of them."

"Yes, sir." She replied, opening the folder on the desk in front of her again. 

Laying on top of the folder was the unsigned adoption paper, already made out. Arabella stared fixatedly at it as she begged that this was just a small matter. A few more questions and she would have her son. Her family. Everything she had dreamed about for fourteen long years.

"Mr. Black," the caseworker stated as she closed the file, "I'm must tell you that that does not seem to be the case. And until the matter is resolved, we can't finalize the adoption. I'm sorry."

Arabella drew on every ounce of resolve within her not to break into tears. Slowly she slid back in the chair, the slightest quiver in her lips as she wrestled down her emotions. She felt as though her godson had been snatched right out of her arms along with her dreams. Next to her Sirius' expression had gone very hard, and his voice very cold.

"What?"

"Someone else, sir, has stepped forward claiming to have custody of the minor child, Harry James Potter Black."

Sirius was out of his chair, leaning hard on his cane for balance. "Who!?"

The caseworker stared up at Sirius without so much as flinching.

"Orion Black."

See you in several months!


End file.
